What Will It Take?
by SG1-Fanfic
Summary: Jack and Sam are stranded on a deserted planet. The journey home will require the efforts of all members of SG-1. SamJack UST leading to RST.
1. Smoldering

**What Will It Take?** by SG1fanfic at hotmail dot com

_Category: Drama, Angst, Adventure, Sam/Jack UST leading to RST, written during the middle of season 8. _

Summary: Jack and Sam are stranded on a deserted planet. The journey home will require the efforts of all members of SG-1. Sam/Jack UST leading to RST.

Rating: PG-13

Season/spoilers: Seasons 1-8 and the Future

Archive: Heliopolis, Gateworld, Fanfiction, Carterfic, SJD yes and whoever who wants it.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended.

_**Author's Notes:** The first few scenes were clamoring around in my head for a few weeks, just begging to be written down. Unfortunately, I could see too many alternatives, too many possible branches and directions for the story to go after each paragraph or event. To get it into type, I had to pick one direction at the end of each major passage, and this is what I have so far... It's not what I'd originally envisioned, but it is where Muse took it. And Muse is a harsh taskmaster! A know-it-all too!_

_So, if you have a lazy Sunday afternoon or a late night where you'd like to stay up reading... here's a little Sam/Jack fic..._

_

* * *

_

**What Will It Take?**

----------------------

**_P4X-650 – the new Alpha Site, some 640 light-years from Earth_**

A quiet shuffling noise... from the area around the doorway.  
She stopped and looked up... waiting expectantly.

But no one appeared.

She waited a moment longer.  
Watching to see movement.

Nothing.

Sighing, she turned back to the inner-workings and programming of what was to become the iris control systems for the new Alpha Site.

Again! She heard something and stopped her work.

Listening and watching.

But no one and no thing appeared.

No papers or tools appeared to have slipped or adjusted positions.  
No small animals were scuttling around.  
Or at least, none that she could see.

Shaking her head, she checked her watch.  
02:17 local time.  
The dead of night.  
Or 'O-Dark-Thirty'.  
When everyone else was in bed.  
Where she should probably be.

She was alone in the new Alpha Site research lab... and she had been for several hours. She'd sent Sergeant Colters to bed just before midnight.

02:19 now, and she grinned ruefully as she stretched limbs cramped from hovering over the control board for hours on end. Where she'd still be if some odd noise hadn't broken her concentration.

02:20... if she were back at the SGC, the General would probably have threatened to bodily drag her away from her work. And she knew it wasn't just a threat... once he'd actually enlisted Teal'c to pick her up and carry her out... Only those who knew that large, generally impassive man would have been able to see the almost non-existent-smile playing on his face as he'd effortlessly scooped the surprised then-Major out of her chair.

Nope, she hadn't seen it coming. General (but back then a Colonel) O'Neill _had_ threatened her with bodily removal over an hour previously. And she'd really meant to wrap it up for the evening... she was just tying up a few things... but she'd lost track of time.

And, then... without any further warning... the Jaffa had stealthily crept up behind her and then quickly scooped her out of her chair... with her hands still reaching for the keyboard.

Her protestations and requests to be put down were ignored. Teal'c silently carried her to her on-base quarters while her CO trailed behind and smugly informed her that she was done for the night.

She hadn't worked that late again... at least not when there wasn't a base-wide crisis... or... at least not when O'Neill was on base... or when he was making it clear that he was keeping tabs of when she knocked off for the day.

02:25. She smiled fondly at the memories.  
No one was going to send her to bed tonight however.  
No one but her own conscience.

She was the only SG-1 member currently at the Alpha Site. General O'Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c were halfway across the galaxy... on Sandara ... previously known as P7X-093. Some sort of Grand Festival in honor of the new alliance and agreements between the SGC and the main Sandaran government. Daniel had worked for weeks on the specifics of the agreements.

This was General O'Neill's third official visit to Sandara as the major representative of the SGC, the Tauri and Earth. Sam had accompanied the rest of her team on each of their previous visits to Sandara, but this time the Alpha Site had requested her presence while they went through the final installation and activation of their new iris.

Her gaze drifted down to the alphanumeric characters on the screen before her.

02:28. It was late. She was tired. Time to call it a night. Shut it down and head to bed. She smiled again to herself... 'The General would be proud,' she thought self-mockingly.

There it was again!  
That soft scraping noise.

She looked towards the doorway and stood up slowly... curious, but cautious.  
Watching carefully for any movement.

Shadows danced and then he was standing in the doorway.

"Sir!!?" It came out as a statement, but her mind was immediately asking questions.

He didn't reply immediately. And she couldn't get a good look at his face because the main light in the room was mounted on the same wall as the doorway and most of his face was in shadows.

"Sir?" This time, a definite question.

She knew who it was, but she didn't know why he was here.

"Carter." A statement. In a deep, gravelly tone. 'His' voice... but... full of...what?

And then he stepped forward and turned slightly towards her and more of his face was illuminated.

Smoldering. That was the immediate, forceful impression.  
His eyes were glittering.

Something was wrong. That much was obvious.

"Sir, Are y-," and pain hit her in the upper right chest and shoulder. _What The-...???_ She looked down and two darts were sticking out just below her collarbone.

Stunned, she looked back at the man in the doorway. The man who was now lowering a dart gun and watching her closely. He looked faintly pleased. Or was it satisfied? She tried to focus on his face again. It _was_ him. Or a very, very good double. And they _had_ seen those before...

Only seconds had passed since he'd originally stepped into the doorway.

"Sirrr-..," she started a question, but didn't know what she was going to ask.  
Her thoughts wouldn't focus.  
Dizziness washed over her as the sedative took hold.  
Her vision blurred and she felt like she was falling.

And everything went black.

* * *

TBC 


	2. Cold

"_Sirrr-..," she started a question, but didn't know what she was going to ask.  
__Her thoughts wouldn't focus.  
__Dizziness washed over her as the sedative took hold.  
__Her vision blurred and she felt like she was falling. _

_And everything went black._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Gray.

Dim.

Her eyes had opened before her brain was fully awake.

Her right cheek hurt and she began to focus her thoughts.

She was lying on the ground... on her right side.  
Her cheek was lying on various leaves and twigs.  
Trees all around.

She started to move a little and something pressed hard against her waist.

She froze.

And, realized that there was someone lying behind her.  
Pressed up against her.

The warmth of the body behind her was immediately obvious as she continued to assemble the pieces of her new apparent reality.

Her thoughts still muzzy, she waited silently for a few moments... assessing the sound and feel of the slow breaths behind her... and she realized that whoever was behind her was probably asleep – or unconscious. As she had been just a few minutes ago.

Without further movement, she carefully tried to glean more information before taking any actions.

Definitely a stand of trees. A forest? And...the low level of light indicated that it was either dawn, or dusk... or that there was some sort of cloud cover. Of course, that was based on Earth-Sun standards, she thought ruefully.

And it was cold. At least by Sam-Carter-standards, she muttered internally. Her back side was definitely warmer than her front side... which was freezing cold – except where two arms wrapped around her waist from behind. And her feet were freezing and almost numb.

She moved her feet together carefully.  
Yep. Barefoot.  
Wonderful!

She shivered and the arms around her waist tightened reflexively again.

Turning her attention to those arms, she saw sleeves of the same army green BDU material that she was wearing.

So... whoever was behind her was probably decked-out in the same, common basic fatigues. She wondered if _they_ had _their_ shoes! Okay, okay, so she was feeling a bit put-out. Waking up on the cold ground, amongst a bunch of non-descript trees, without any blankets, with only the warmth of an unknown body behind her... and without her shoes! Did she mention that her feet were freezing?

She hated the cold. She rarely complained vocally amongst the macho brethren of the special forces that predominated the Stargate teams. She'd worked too hard to give any narrow-minded males any ammunition against any of their female coworkers. And she knew that if she complained about the cold in front of O'Neill then he would forever use it as justification to make her eat more and put on some weight. The SGC docs were always warning her that she was on the low-end of the acceptable weight limits for her height and body frame.

And she did admit, at least to herself, that she was a bit too thin to enjoy the colder worlds that they occasionally visited. Tramping through snow and ice in windy conditions were not on her list of favorite off-world scenarios. But she didn't complain. Not out loud. She just...got... quiet. And she was pretty sure that Daniel, Teal'c and O'Neill had a pretty fair idea as to why.

So... she hated the cold. And she _really_ hated waking up cold.

And waking up disoriented and in unknown surroundings? Yep, hated that too.

But waking up alongside an unknown person... that had to be worse than the cold or the mysterious surroundings. She didn't know whether to be concerned, worried, comforted or scared of the owner of the arms around her waist.

Listening carefully again to the slow, measured breaths against her neck, she tried to think about her next move... but she couldn't seem to completely shake off the cloudy, murky feeling in her mind and she couldn't seem to focus adequately.

The moments passed and she grew to notice the cold more... and the hard ground... and the leaves and twigs...

Slowly she started to turn a little to try and get a look at the person behind her. Her arms and legs felt like lead weights. Like they were mired in an extra-strength gravity field... something several times the normal gravity of Earth. After what seemed like a supreme physical and mental effort, she successfully moved her left arm just an inch or so and immediately felt the press of cold metal against her left wrist. Cautiously she stilled and looked down to inspect her left arm.

A steel gray bracelet encircled her left wrist. Handcuffs!... she realized with dismay. Focusing her eyes on her other wrist, however, determined that there was nothing on her right wrist. Moving slowly and carefully she lifted her cuffed wrist, and seemingly lead-filled arm, to determine what it was attached to.

Erk!

Dismay and a little curl of fear washed through her stomach as she saw that her wrist was cuffed to the wrist of one of the 'other' arms encircling her waist.

Great!... she moaned silently to herself. She wakes up who-knows-where... handcuffed to who-knows-who...? With a drugged-out, hangover feeling. Oh, yeah... and there's the cold. Did she mention that she was cold? Yes, she did? Oh, then just making sure that it's not forgotten. Because she's damn cold and her feet feel like blocks of ice.

* * *

Trouble concentrating. She was definitely having trouble concentrating.

Allright, she sighed silently. Now what? She wanted to move away from the person behind her and see who it was. Assess the threat, if there was any... It was possible that the person she was cuffed to was in the same position that she was... disoriented and a fellow prisoner of sorts of whomever had placed them here.

Or, she might be cuffed to her captor. The cuffs might be so that she couldn't escape while they slept. That would be assuming that her captor was not afraid that she would cause any bodily harm after she discovered that she wasn't going to be able to just slip away.

Not enough information to answer all of her questions.  
She needed more data.

Which meant that she was going to have to move. With the cuffs, she wasn't going to be able to go very far – at least not until she could find something to pick the lock with. She could, however, try and move enough to get a shot at seeing if she could recognize the person she was cuffed to.

Slowly she started inching around. Forcing her distressingly weak and reluctant muscles into some movement...her movements tempered with caution and slowed even more with the sluggishness that she'd woken with. Turning a bit, starting to inch away just a bit. Moving around so that she could see the one behind her. Slowly. She moved painstakingly slowly. Careful not to disturb the even breathing behind her. Several times she froze, rested and waited.

Craning her head around, she finally got a look at the face behind her.

And she froze again for a moment, and then automatically relaxed.

She was cuffed to her CO! General Jack O'Neill.

She tried to assess his condition. She didn't see any immediately obvious wounds or contusions. Examining his face closely, he didn't appear to be in any pain or obvious distress. In fact, he just appeared to be sleeping.

Relaxing a bit more now that she knew who she was cuffed to and that he didn't appear injured, questions started to flood her mind.

What was he doing here when he was supposed to be on Sandara?

Where was here? Was she on Sandara?

Why would anyone kidnap the two of them and leave them handcuffed to each other on the forest floor?

Where were Daniel and Teal'c?

Those and other questions chased themselves through her mind as she started to look around for anything that might provide clues to the answers... or a way to get the cuffs off. Her mind was starting to clear up a bit, although she still felt weak and her body felt like it was made of solid lead.

The sky was getting a bit brighter now, so it must have been the local equivalent of daybreak, she noted absently as she debated her next move. Since the General didn't look injured, she decided to try and sit up so that she could get a better look around. Studying the steel restraints, she realized that they were cuffed together in an odd fashion for prisoners. Her left wrist was cuffed to _his_ left wrist. While this made the sleeping arrangements fairly comfortable, the cuffs would be awkward once they sat up or tried to walk around.

Strange. Why would anyone cuff prisoners this way? So they could be comfortable at night? Or so they'd be _un_comfortable if they tried to escape?

Studying the configurations, she simply decided to move slowly to try and avoid any unnecessary twisting or torqueing of their appendages. If he was just asleep, her movements were probably going to wake him up. If he was still under the effects of the same drug that she was still feeling, then she wouldn't have to worry much about disturbing his sleep.

She started to slide around again with the intention of putting their left arms between them and resulting with the two of them basically facing each other. But just as she started to move, he started... his breathing caught and he mumbled something incoherent. She stopped and waited to see if he was going to wake up.

Instead, he squirmed a bit and then he pulled her closer to him as he started to settle back down while spooned behind her again. Unfortunately, she was expecting him to wake up – not to pull her towards him – and she jerked a bit in surprise and instinctively started to pull away. "Sir!" was all she got out.

And his arms clamped around her upper waist and clenched her tight!  
Tight enough that she was having trouble breathing.  
Moments passed and when he didn't relax his grip, she began to get a bit worried.  
This was very uncomfortable – and it was actually beginning to get painful.  
Breathing was still difficult and she was rapidly beginning to feel a bit faint.

"Sir...," but it came out as a low raspy groan.

No longer concerned about his sleep, she had no choice but to pull at his arms in an attempt to break his hold. But her arms and legs still felt like lead weights and her attempts to break free only produced a weak wriggling which did nothing to break his hold on her.

And then his arms tightened viciously around her upper waist, diaphragm and lower ribcage. She let out an airy groan of pain as the little breath left in her lungs was involuntarily forced out.

And then she passed out. Again.

* * *

** . . .**

TBC


	3. Disorientation

_She let out an airy groan of pain as the little breath left in her lungs was involuntarily forced out._

_And then she passed out. Again._

* * *

**Ch 3: DISORIENTATION**

Bright.  
And dark.  
Moving.

She opened her eyes to see trees.  
Again.

This time she gripped her reality rapidly and the muzziness in her mind dissipated quickly. Trees. The same trees. The same forest floor. The same dirt and twigs.

But brighter than earlier. And a gentle breeze was wafting the smaller branches back and forth... creating moving shadows across the ground, herself and her CO.

Each breath was painful. His grip had relaxed significantly... if it hadn't she probably wouldn't have woken up. Ever.

But each breath was painful now. She undoubtedly had some bruised ribs and such. But at least he'd relaxed. Even if it had been after she was unconscious.

Taking further stock, she also felt stiff and tired of lying on her right side. Her right shoulder and hip were numb. It only took a few minutes for her to realize that she was going to _have_ to move. They were _both_ going to have to move. They couldn't lie in this same position for much longer.

Planning her moves again to put herself facing him, she intended to get her arms between their chests – and she'd... well, she'd just have to knee him in the groin if he started to squeeze the life out of her again. She'd apologize afterwards. And, if it really was him, he'd understand... after he stopped cursing.

Steeling herself, she quickly rolled over, pulling his left arm up and over with hers while pulling her knees up a little while pushing away from him a bit.

And, it worked!

Well, at least he didn't attempt the vice-like bear-hug again. They now lay facing each other with their handcuffed left arms crossing over between them. She was still lying on his right arm, but she needed to assess their situation before deciding on her next move.

First, she looked him over again from her improved vantage point. Again, she could see no visible injuries. No blood or bruises. No torn clothing. Hmmmm... and _he_ had his shoes. That was definitely not fair, she groused silently.

Turning her scrutiny back to his face she assessed and compared to what she'd learned of the man over the past 8 years. And, just as before, she could only determine that he appeared to be sleeping fairly peacefully. With no obvious distress... not even any apparent disturbing dreams. In fact, he looked quite peaceful, and she found her thoughts drifting into areas that she knew weren't appropriate for a professional relationship. Feeling the familiar yet sad bite in her heart, she forced herself back to the problem at hand.

For now, he appeared to be relatively OK. So, why was he still asleep?

Darts! She remembered darts!  
Just below her collarbone.  
Tranquilizing darts!

And that was it.  
She couldn't remember anything else.  
Yet... the rest seemed to be there... just too fuzzy to make out.

Tranquilizing darts... Well, if they'd hit her with two, they'd probably hit him with three or four. Who knew how long he'd be asleep?!

With one more assessing look at her CO, she turned her attention to the next task.

Time to get a better look around.

----------------------

Pushing herself up slowly, a notable echo of her earlier feelings of weakness were apparent. Sitting up finally, she rested and braced herself so that she didn't topple back over. Her head swam a bit as her heart adjusted to the demands of her new body position.

They were off to the side in a clearing, or meadow, amongst some trees.

And roughly 80-90 meters away (roughly the length of a football field) were what appeared to be two heavily-laden off-world-SGC-jitneys... the small motorized transport vehicles that they used when they needed to move small, but heavy, loads off-world. Piles of bags and boxes were stacked alongside the two overburdened transports.

Laden with what?  
For what?  
By whom?

The unanswered questions were becoming increasingly annoying.

She hoped that there were socks and boots in that pile somewhere!  
And the keys to these cuffs.

Yes, that would be nice.  
And she wasn't sure what she really wanted more.  
Warm feet were starting to sound extremely important on her personal priority list.

And then he moved. Just a little.  
She froze and waited.

And then he moved again.... just a small movement.  
His eyes fluttered, closed and then opened.  
His gaze initially horizontal along the ground.

"Sir?" she kept her voice soft and quiet. First, so that she wouldn't alert any of their captors that their prisoners were waking up... But the second reason was just as important, she spoke softly so that she didn't startle him... because she didn't want him jerking her arm out of her socket before she could show him the cuffs.

His head turned a little and his eyes moved to focus on her. Apparently she'd succeeded. He hadn't jumped or jerked at her voice... of course, she realized, he may just be feeling like she had earlier - in which case, his head probably felt like it was stuffed with cotton and his arms and legs felt weak and leaden.

"Sir?" she spoke softly again and watched for recognition.

"Cahrr...," her name died in his throat as he struggled to clear his mind and wake up.

She gave him a small smile, "Yes, sir."

He closed his eyes and she watched to see if he was going to fall back asleep. A few moments later, however, he opened his eyes again and looked back up at her. His eyes were a bit clearer this time. He blinked, shook his head slightly and started to move so she put her right hand on his left shoulder, "Sir?" she asked for his attention and he stopped.

"We...uh...," and she held up her left arm and gently tugged hers up with it so that he could see the cuffs.

He stared for a moment and then glanced back at her. "Right," he stated as if this happened to them all of the time. Well, she realized that... actually _weirder_ things happened to them fairly regularly... so waking up cuffed together probably wasn't that peculiar... at least not for them!

He moved his right arm under his right side and levered himself towards a sitting position. She stabilized his movements by holding his left hand and by keeping her right arm on his left shoulder.

When he was upright, the two of them were facing each other with their cuffed left wrists crossing the space diagonally between them. She watched him study the odd way that they were cuffed. He looked up at her questioningly. She just shrugged. She still couldn't see the purpose of that arrangement yet.

Ignoring the unanswerable for right now, he turned his perceptive gaze around the clearing. She watched him take in the large pile of unknown content.

"Any idea where we are?" he spoke as softly as she had earlier.

"No sir," she admitted and then added, "I was _really_ hoping that you did."

He looked back at her and a small sardonic smile quirked the edges of his mouth for a moment and then he turned back to the task at hand. "Have you seen anyone?"

"No sir," she replied.

"You're not full of much intel, Carter," and he kept his tone light.

"Sorry, sir," and she rolled her eyes a bit in long-sufferance while a small smile flitted across her own face. She was already feeling more than 100 percent better now that he was awake and speaking in his usual irreverent fashion.

His eyes continued to scan the area. Cataloguing and assessing what he saw. The implications, the possibilities. And she saw his eyes travel back to her. He gave her a quick once-over, looking for any injuries or wounds that hadn't immediately taken center stage.

"Carter?" His eyebrows had climbed his forehead a bit in askance.

"Yes, sir?" She knew what he was looking at.

"Where are your shoes?"

She had tried to tuck her feet under her legs for warmth, but her bare toes and ankles could still be seen. She shook her head a little and sighed, "I don't know, sir."

He just stared at her. She knew that he was trying to figure this whole thing out.  
Where they were. Who'd abducted them. Why they were here.  
Why they were cuffed in such an unusual configuration.  
Why she had no shoes or socks... and yet he did.  
Why her shoes and socks?

The look on his face told her that he didn't have any more answers than she did.

His eyes scanned the clearing again for a few moments while he continued to shake off the effects of the drug. She couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be fighting it off much faster than she had.

A few moments later and his attention was back on her. Checking her out more carefully. She simply waited. He was the CO, and she was the proper military officer. Patient... with superiors. Besides, she respected and trusted him. So the waiting wasn't too difficult. Well, at least not most of the time.

"Cold?" he questioned softly.

"A bit," she admitted, "but I'll be fine, sir."

He didn't reply, but simply stared at her for a few beats... and then reached across with his left hand and grasped one of her feet. She jerked a bit in surprise at the unexpected contact. "Sheez! Carter! You're feet are like ice!" he hissed.

She shrugged, "Yes, sir," she replied softly. There wasn't much she could do about it right now, so she was trying to ignore it.

He stared at her for another moment and then turned his attention back to the pile of unknown materials on and around the jitneys. With one more assessing look around the clearing, "Well, I think we should check that out first. Maybe we can find you some shoes and the keys to these cuffs," he echoed her earlier thoughts.

"Yes, sir," she replied and they began helping each other stand-up. Not an easy task when he was still sluggish and groggy and she had frozen feet and cramped muscles. Eventually, however, the two of them were on their feet... although they were leaning heavily on each other for mutual support and stability.

A few moments of hanging onto each other and they pulled back slowly, each taking their own weight more fully onto their own feet.

"Wow," he kept his voice soft, "Is the world spinning a bit for you, Carter?" he asked.

"Not much sir," she replied. "I've had a little more time to wake up and get past the drugged-out feeling."

"Right," he replied slowly again as his thoughts moved off to their next immediate task. Walking while cuffed as they were would be do-able, although a bit awkward. Without waiting for any further discussion, she moved over to stand on his left side, her left arm across her body to where it was cuffed to his left wrist. This allowed him to keep his left arm at his left side, a more comfortable and useful position if he had to respond to anything. He glanced up and met her eyes briefly before turning back towards their objective.

Slowly walking over to the pile of unknown materials, she was annoyed at the razor-sharp rocks and twigs stabbing at her unprotected feet. She tried to avoid what she could, but too much was hidden below the light dusting of leaves and forest litter. Twice she stepped on something so sharp that she reflexively jerked and hopped off balance. She was pretty sure that she'd cut her foot on that last one. And, none of her efforts were helped by her bruised rib cage.

Each time she faltered, O'Neill stopped and steadied her. Each time, he would look at her questioningly and she would mutter a quiet apology and then turn her attention back to their forward progress. The last thing she wanted was to have him offer to carry her!

After what had seemed too long, they reached the last few feet before their goal. They both kept constant vigil on the trees and surrounding area for any sign of movement or approach. Nothing moved except the two of them and the branches and leaves of the trees in the gentle breeze.

"Shiiuuhhh-"Sam hissed a sharp breath in as her already wounded foot was lacerated by another sharp unseen object. Pitching slightly forward with her left arm crossed across her body to his left arm, she fell against her own arm – which pushed sharply against her bruised ribs. Clenching her eyes shut against the pain, she felt him catch her from behind as his arms wrapped around her.

He held her for a moment while she regained her balance, standing back up and taking her weight off of their arms and back onto her tender feet. Or rather, foot. She was really standing with most of her weight on her least injured foot. The other was lancing with pain.

"Carter?" softly in her ear and she closed her eyes again... but just for a moment, and then slowly turned counter-clockwise so that she could face him. He held onto her as she wobbled a bit as they negotiated their linked arms and wrists.

As she came around towards him, she looked up... his face was mostly in leaf-dappled shadows... he was looking piercingly at her, assessing her condition... and then a patch of sun flashed across his eyes...

And she saw...

She saw...

Her breath caught as the images flashed through her mind.  
A sound.  
A doorway.  
Those eyes.

A puzzled look crossed his face, "Carter?" he sounded a bit worried now as she still hadn't answered.

"I... uh...," her mind was racing... trying to put the pieces together... "I... need to sit down, sir," she finally got that much out.

He just looked at her for another moment and then nodded and gestured to the side of one of the larger crates that was just a foot or two away. Nodding her agreement, she reached out a hand to the crate and then carefully lowered herself so that she could sit while leaning back against the side of the crate. He watched and positioned himself so that he was crouched facing her, but a little to her left side so that her left arm wasn't stretched across her anymore.

Once seated, she took a slow breath while she tried to figure out what was going on. He waited for a moment and then turned his attention to her bruised and bloodied feet.

"Well, nothing's bleeding too profusely. We could tear off pieces of our jackets or T-shirts, but I think we just might find something better in these crates and boxes," he declared after his inspection and then waited for her response.

She nodded distractedly, "Yes sir, I'll be fine."

He was staring at her again. Observing, cataloguing and assessing. And he knew her too well, "We obviously need to take care of your feet, Carter, but there's something else," he declared softly and with narrowed, knowing eyes. "What is it?"

"It's nothing sir, I'll be fine," she repeated softly and without looking at him.

He noticed it all.  
When she looked at him and when she wouldn't.  
Her tone and her inflection.

"Carrrterrr...," he drew it out and used his tone to emphasize and reiterate his request.

She glanced up and... there they were again. His eyes caught in dapples of light and dark. She looked away quickly.

"Carter!" he hissed... he didn't have a lot of patience in good times – and right now... apparent prisoners on an unknown planet... definitely did not qualify as good times!

Her military training kicked in and she responded to her CO's request, "It's just a couple of bruised ribs, sir. It's nothing, really."

His gaze bored into her. Unrelenting, as he tried to figure out what was going on. Both around them and with her. She wouldn't look at him – she kept her eyes scanning the clearing.. She kept her eyes anywhere but on him.

Silence stretched between them for a few moments.

The clearing was quiet. No movements other than the swaying branches.

"Carter, I know you too well. There's something else," and then he raised his right hand and waggled his index finger at her. "And if you just tell me that you are fine again, then I'm going to _know_ that you are critically injured!" Both a warning and a challenge.

She sighed and glanced up at him again. She met his eyes... and now all she saw was deep concern and friendship. And she suddenly doubted the images of her memories. Maybe...-

"Carter?" he said it softly again and she knew his patience was almost completely gone.

"Sir, would you check your pockets?" she asked quietly.

"What?" he looked at her like was suddenly speaking an alien language.

"Would you check your pockets..., please?" she asked again.

Bewildered, he kept his voice low, "Why? Carter, you need to tell me what's going on! I can't work witho-,"

"Sir!" she kept it to a hard whisper. "Please. I... I don't honestly know what's going on... I... I need more data...," and she paused and met his eyes again to see his confusion. "Please, I just need you to check your pockets.... Sir."

Both of them off-balance a little by the direction of their weird, strangely non-informative conversation. Questioning brown eyes met blue eyes asking for a little trust. He glanced away and then back. She just waited silently.

Sighing, he raised his eyebrows in surprise and acceptance, "You keep an eye out...," and then he started going through his pockets. She didn't respond, but just followed his orders and kept a visual patrol of their surroundings. Watching and listening for anything approaching their position.

"Ssssss-," a sharp intake of breath from him and she turned to look at what he'd found.

A key.

He was holding it in his hand like it was an alien organism that was going to bite him. He looked up and met her eyes. She carefully kept her face impassive.

Not saying a word, she lifted her wrist and positioned the cuffs so that the lock was turned towards him.

He didn't move.

Slowly reaching out, she took the key from him and flipped it over in her hand so that it was situated correctly. Inserting it into the lock, she turned the key and the cuffs snapped open, freeing first her wrist and then his as she turned the locking mechanism.

She pulled her hand away, rubbing the sore flesh.  
He lowered his arm slowly.  
Neither of them looking at the other.

He was dumbfounded.  
Trying to put the pieces together.

She was dejected and uneasy. Because she had been right.  
She had wanted to be wrong.  
She had _so_ wanted to be wrong.

"Car...Carterr...?" he was asking for that explanation although his determination was now laced with apprehension and uncertainty.

She forced her eyes to meet his.  
She saw the uncertainty and the questions.  
She saw her CO. A man that she respected.  
A man who had saved the world. Repeatedly.  
A hero.  
A man that she would trust with her life.  
A man that she _had_ trusted with her life countless times.

She started to say something, but the words failed her.

Who was this man in front of her now?  
Was it really him?  
Or was it a clone?  
An android double such as Harlan had made?  
A replicator humanoid in his shape?

She tried to see the answer in his eyes.

The moments passed as she grappled with what to say while he fought his intense dislike for not knowing all of the details... for not knowing the 'whole picture.'

She saw the questions in his eyes.

And then his eyes widened and he sucked in a quick breath.  
She froze and watched him carefully.  
His eyes lost focus as if he were watching images only he could see.

"Ohmygod... ohmygod...," he was muttering with a stricken look. "No, no, no..., Ohmygod... ohmygod..." His head was moving slowly back and forth and his eyes were not focused on anything around them. Suddenly his eyes met hers again and he focused on her – and looked terrified. "No, no, no, not-, not-, not-, no, no, no-" he was repeating the words and phrases over and over again.

Uncertain of what was going on, Sam didn't move and watched him carefully. She was injured and the best she could do for a weapon was one of the sharp rocks around them. She curled the fingers of her right hand around one of the rocks by her right leg. Waiting, watching... and hoping that there was going to be an explanation soon. Of the 'happy ending' sort. Even though she knew that was unlikely, she couldn't help holding out hope.

Suddenly he stood up.

Glancing wildly around at the boxes and crates, he stumbled between the two larger stacks.

And then he stood stock still.

He turned back and looked at her apologetically.  
Sorrow.  
Guilt.

And that little curl of fear in her stomach bloomed into a nauseous wash.  
She tried to calm it with a slow, deep breath.

He took a step back towards her... and her fingers tightened around the sharp-edged rock.

"Carter...I'm sorry," and his anguish was palpable.

And then he bolted.

Right past her and into the woods.  
In seconds he was gone.

* * *

_TBC_


	4. Discoveries

_He took a step back towards her... and her fingers tightened around the sharp-edged rock. _

"_Carter...I'm sorry," and his anguish was palpable.  
__And then he bolted._

_Right past her and into the woods.  
__In seconds he was gone._

* * *

**CH 4: DISCOVERIES**

**- - -**

The clearing was quiet again.

She was alone.

She stared at the section of trees where he'd disappeared.

Nothing. No movement.

Just dappled shadows, swaying branches and quiet.

She was alone.

**- - -**

* * *

**- - -**

Several minutes passed while she waited expectantly.

For what she didn't know.

Maybe, just for... 'the other shoe to drop' (and if it wasn't too small, she'd put that shoe on!)

Maybe for explanations.  
Now... there was an idea!  
But she wasn't holding her breath for that!  
She had a queasy feeling that the explanations were not going to be delivered.  
She was going to have to go and get them.

Finally deciding that she couldn't sit there forever, she decided to see if she could find any useful food or medical supplies in the stacks around her. And some socks and shoes!

Using the crate for support, she levered herself back up and onto her abused feet. Turning her attention to the stacks around her she picked out a few that looked promising and set about exploring their contents.

Ten minutes later she was cleaning and bandaging her feet. She'd found a very complete set of medical supplies in one of the boxes. Enough supplies to last either a long time or for a small skirmish. What were they for? What was their owner's purpose?

With her feet properly cleaned up, topical antibiotics applied and generous bandaging wrapped around it all, she turned back to a more methodical and careful search through the crates and boxes.

She found food. Lots of it. MRE's. Trail bars. Protein packets. Dried fruit.  
Freeze-dried and canned. One package of juice boxes!

She was famished. She hadn't eaten since... sigh... since lunch at the Alpha Site. Countless hours ago. Countless? She checked her watch. Not countless. Thirty hours ago. Thirty hours since that lunch. With no immediate other obvious choices, she opted for a trail bar and a juice box for now.

Afterwards, keeping an eye out for the return of her CO, or for any other inhabitants or occupants of this world, she continued her explorations.

A half-hour passed, during which she found two-man-tents, P90s, handguns, K-bars (knives), radios, utility vests and packs, as well as spare batteries, grenades, C-4 and various types of ammunition for the guns. All of the things that they normally kitted out with on typical SGC offworld missions. She pulled out a complement of equipment for herself.

And then she spied her socks and boots. Over behind one of the loose duffles on the ground. Her socks and boots. The ones that she'd been wearing at the Alpha Site.

She carefully pulled her socks and boots over her bandaged feet. With the security of boots on her feet, she was much more mobile around the piles of supplies.

She scanned the clearing again.  
Still no movement.  
No unusual noises.

He hadn't returned.

She wondered how much daylight was left. She thought that it was now the local equivalent of afternoon, but she couldn't be sure. Not without knowing more about this planet's daily cycle.

Scanning the area one more time, she turned back to what she'd uncovered.

Making a decision, she set to gearing up. Ten minutes later she was fully kitted out with her P90 ready and 'his' stashed in her quickly assembled pack. She didn't know if the situation would warrant giving it to him... or having to use it to keep him away.

The rest of her pack was filled with medical supplies, another radio and batteries, some food and a little emergency equipment. Her utility vest was fully kitted-out with her radio, a few grenades, some C4, etc. A fully loaded pistol hung from her belt and a zat rested in a thigh holster.

Finally set, she eyed the trees where he'd disappeared a few hours before. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped quietly after him.

**- - -**

* * *

**- - -**

Following him turned out to be fairly easy. He'd left the clearing along a path apparently created when the loaded jitneys and crates had been carted into their clearing. Her tracking skills were nowhere near those of Teal'c or O'Neill, but she could see several sets of footprints, some headed to the clearing and some headed away.

All of the prints were similar in shape and style to those left by her own combat boots. And... all of the prints appeared to be the same size... so she couldn't tell how many different individuals had walked here before her. It might have been only one. Perhaps, it was only him.

Forty-five minutes later of slow, cautious walking and creeping... and she saw it.

The Stargate.

And she saw him.  
Sitting on the steps with his head in his hands.

He wasn't moving and he showed no awareness of her presence.

A wide board of some sort lay across the middle section of the steps leading up to the gate. Most likely to create a ramp for the supply-laden jitneys. Of which she saw two more at the base of the steps and slightly off to the side. Two more jitneys – piled high with boxes, crates and duffles.

She stood at the edge of the copse of trees surrounding the 'Gate.  
Taking in the configuration before her.  
Noting the places where someone might be hidden.  
Or from where someone might launch an ambush.

She waited and watched quietly.  
No one approached the silent figure sitting on the stone steps.

Just as back in the clearing, there was no evidence of other intelligent life.

No sign of alien hostiles.

No sign of Goa'uld or their Jaffa.

Just one man. Sitting motionless on the steps before the Gate.

Her eyes came back to the DHD.  
Every time she scanned the area, her eyes came back to that DHD.

Because it looked... destroyed.  
At least from where she was standing.  
She'd need a closer look for confirmation.  
But she was pretty sure what the closer look would reveal.

She slowly knelt down and waited.  
And watched.

Fifteen minutes passed.  
No one entered or left the area around the 'Gate.

The lone figure on the steps occasionally shifted position slightly, but that was the extent of any movement in the area.

Deciding it was time to move, she slowly stood up and cautiously walked forward. Her P90 pointed down, but still ready in her hands.

When she was within 50 yards of him, she stopped and waited again.  
He offered no sign that he knew that she was there.

Gripping her gun, she called out in what she hoped was a non-threatening tone, "General O'Neill?"

His head came up and he looked at her.  
With no expression.  
Or... was it more like an absence of hope?  
Despair?

"General?" she tried again.

Still no response.

Cautiously she made her way over to the DHD, keeping her eyes on him the entire time.  
He watched her listlessly.

And there it was.  
Definitely non-functional.  
Destroyed.  
Splintered, smashed and broken.

Crouching down, she inspected one of many small holes...suspiciously like ... they looked like... bullet holes... Very few worlds other than Earth used basic bullets.

She closed her eyes at a feeling of desolation.

They were stranded.

Unless someone knew where they were, and had the capabilities of arriving in a ship... then they were stranded.

She looked back over at him.  
He hadn't moved, but he was watching her.

"I'm sorry," he dejectedly repeated what he'd said before bolting from the clearing.

She didn't know what to say.  
Or exactly what to do next.

Looking back down at the bullet-splattered mess of technology that was once their way home, she looked around for any sign of the weapon that could have caused this damage. But she could see no P90 or other automatic weapon other than her own.

And she definitely would have heard such a weapon if it had been fired in the last couple of hours. It had taken her 45 careful minutes to get here, but the clearing where they'd woken up was actually only a 10-15-minute walk at a normal pace. With the lack of intervening mountains or hills, the reports and echoes of the gun that caused this damage should have been clearly heard back at the clearing.

But the damage looked fresh. Freshly splintered. Freshly broken. Not worn by time. Not oxidized. The fragments were not dulled or buried under dirt of leaves.

With no further information immediately forthcoming, she looked back at the man on the steps. He still hadn't moved, but he was watching her a little more attentively now.

She slowly walked over to stand at the base of the steps – on the opposite end to where he was sitting. Cautiously climbing up a few steps, she slowly sat down on the same step that he was on. Just on the other end. So that there was still 15 or so feet between them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

**- - -**

* * *

**- - -**

_TBC_


	5. Tunnel Vision

**Author's Note:** OK, here comes the explanation. I'd actually hoped to post it last night, with Chapter 4, but I was working on a later chapter and was too tired to give Chapter 5 the final read-through before posting. The explanation...is an old fanfic plot device... I wish I could lay claim to something stunningly original... but I can say this... It's not going to lead to immediate S/J ship... Their path will be long and arduous due to the way that the series writers have chosen to develop their complicated relationship.

So... this fic is now going to live up to the Fic Categories 'Drama' and 'Angst'... I think that only die-hard shippers will make it past the tough times ahead for our two heroes. In the end, I am a S/J shipper, so that's where I intend it to end up... even if this fic is going places that I never envisioned... and the path is longer and much more complicated than I'd originally planned.

* * *

_She slowly walked over to stand at the base of the steps – on the opposite end to where he was sitting. Cautiously climbing up a few steps, she slowly sat down on the same step that he was on. Just on the other end. So that there was still 15 or so feet between them._

"_I'm sorry," he whispered again._

* * *

**Ch 5: TUNNEL VISION**

"Sir, do you know where we are?" she broke the silence.

He looked at her again and then quickly back out across the clearing in front of the 'Gate. "I think... I think it's P8X-539," he finally responded with a bit of a grimace.

"The runner-up for the new Alpha Site?" she asked in surprise and he just nodded. She hadn't actually visited this site, but O'Neill had accompanied SG-4 for a reconnaissance when P8X-539 had made the "Finalists List' of candidates for the new Alpha Site.

Ohhhkayyy... so she now had a name for the planet they were on... but where was it? P8X-539... she tried to place it on her mental star map. She had paid attention to its location when they were deciding which planets to send SG teams to... but that had been a year or so ago... if not more.

She highlighted her mental map: Earth was... there... the new Alpha Site, where she'd been...640 light-years away from Earth... and was there... Sandara was.... 480 light years from Earth... in this direction... Sandara was... there.... roughly 870 light years from the new Alpha Site....

And P8X-539... was... P8X-539... was...there! A small smile of triumph played across her face as she remembered its location and visualized it on her mental star map. Turning it around in her mind, Earth, Sandara, the new Alpha Site and P8X-539 formed a rough asymmetrical tetrahedron, with Earth at the apex.

Unfortunately, she estimated the distance between P8X-539 and Earth was a good 1800 light-years! The distances from here to the new Alpha Site and Sandara were even further.

Normally, the Stargate made distances irrelevant. She and the General, however, no longer had access to a Stargate... the only way that they were going to leave this planet was by ship. And it was going to take a long, long time for anyone to reach them by ship from Earth.

P8X-539 was 'off-the-beaten-path' as well. Not only a long way from Earth, but also a long way from areas known to have significant starship travel and/or trade routes. P8X-539 was in a backwater area of their galaxy. Another facet that had been originally _in_ its favor when they were searching for the location of their new Alpha Site.

With a mental sigh, she realized that their only real chance for hope was if the Asgard could spare a ship to come and get them. Assuming that anyone else knew where they were. Their only real hope was probably a very slim one.

------------

She shifted slightly on the cold, gritty stone steps. Shaking herself from her musings she glanced back over at him to find him watching her... but then he immediately looked back out across the clearing.

"Sir, why are we here?" she kept her voice soft and with just a bit of curiosity.

Silence answered her.

He didn't react at all to her question.  
It was as if he hadn't heard her.

But she knew that he had.

Physically, at least... she wasn't sure about mentally.

So she waited. And tried to be patient.

Silent minutes passed. She let her eyes maintain a visual patrol of the area while he just sat there motionlessly.

"We were on Sandara," and she brought her eyes back to him on the other end of the steps. He wasn't looking at her, but was still looking into the distance.

"We were on Sandara," he repeated, and took a deep breath. "It was that Grand Party Celebration Thingy," and she nodded silently in agreement even though he wasn't looking at her. "Apparently they wanted to give us something special to commemorate our 'Historic Alliance'," and he used both hands to pantomime quotation marks while his tone of voice conveyed his true appreciation of such pomp and circumstance.

"Well, as the night wore on, I started feeling... kind of... well... 'off'...hot and feverish... and I was having trouble focusing on what the High Councilor was saying to me. And this... um... woman...," _a very, very pretty young woman he remembered vividly, but did not say that out loud_, "was... well... very attentive," _she was actually sort of aggressive... and O'Neill was not used to such displays in public._

"I... well, I didn't think it would be proper to reciprocate such behavior in front of our new allies, so I finally... extricated myself," these were not Jack O'Neill's typical type of words, but he was attempting to sanitize the events a bit. He couldn't bring himself to tell Sam Carter that he'd had a sexually-interested woman making advances to him at an official meeting between planetary governments. _Nor did he want any hints that he was having trouble controlling himself. Extreme trouble. He'd found himself responding... to the point of wanting to invite the woman to some secluded quarters for interplanetary explorations!_

_Memories flashed before his eyes of Kynthia on Argos. Back then, they were so new to interplanetary exploration, he could claim ignorance. But now he was the head of the SGC... and after more than eight years of planet-hopping and countless cultures met and visited... What was his excuse now?_

He looked over at her, steeling himself for the look of exasperation or disgust... but instead he met the eyes of a friend. One who understood the complexities and pitfalls of the universe that they were exploring.

"Daniel and Teal'c were... occupied...," _dancing, actually, they'd been dancing... with a couple of Sandaran women who'd appeared totally infatuated with the archeologist and the Jaffa... _"So I excused myself and went back to the rooms that the Sandarans had prepared for us. The woman... Penja... I believe her name was... started to come with me, but I... I wasn't very polite when I said 'No' and I'm afraid that I hurt her feelings..." _He'd actually wondered what he'd done to their new inter-planetary friendship... with his luck they would discover that he'd just scorned the High Councilor's favorite daughter!_

"When I got back to the rooms, I couldn't sit still. I felt like I was burning up and like I was going to crawl out of my skin at the same time. I was pacing, jittery and I couldn't focus my thoughts on any of the reasons that we'd come to that planet." He paused here for a moment and took a calming breath before steeling himself to continue.

"My thoughts started to tunnel in on only one thing...," and he grimaced and snuck a glance at her to find her eyebrows climbing her forehead before she glanced away. She was probably thinking of Argos and Kynthia.

"I didn't eat any cake!" he tried some feeble humor... and was rewarded with one of those half-smiles that she could never seem to repress at his bad jokes. He was also going for a little misdirection, because the 'one thing' in his tunnel vision... was not _exactly_ what he'd led her to believe... not quite... He was going to have to tell her, but he wasn't quite ready.

"I don't know how long I was prowling around in my room, when the High Councilor came by. I really didn't want to talk to him. I couldn't control the focus of my thoughts and I tried to beg off until the next morning, but he insisted. He'd come to explain and apologize. The drinks had been laced with 'Vandi' - the Sandaran equivalent of some sort of aphrodisiac/peyote/nishta concotion. The Sandarans only celebrate with it a few times every century.... but when they do... What A Par-tay!" and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry that I missed all the fun, sir," she was giving him a small grin. "What happened to Daniel and Teal'c?"

"I don't know," he admitted and then gave a suggestive roll of his eyes and shoulders. He figured that they'd... well... the two men _were_ currently unattached... and neither of them had to worry about the same level of decorum that 'General' O'Neill did when he was representing the Tauri of Earth.

"Ri-i-ight...," she nodded her head a little and then shook it back and forth accompanied by that soft snort that women reserved for such displays of male behavior.

"Well, the High Councilor apparently took a bit of umbrage to my offended reaction, and he went on to explain that 'Vandi' was an extremely special substance to the Sandarans. In very limited quantities on their planet. Very expensive and time-consuming to make. And, he stressed that it did _not_ simply make the user... wanton... or without sexual control. He adamantly stated that these types of celebrations were _not_ giant orgies. Apparently, married partners 'almost' always sought out their mates... and when they did not, then this was seen as one of the very few grounds for the dissolution of said partnership. Unmated participants usually seek out like-minded souls, and, consequently the time after one of the celebrations is usually one of countless betrothal announcements." He paused again to see how she was taking all of this. As usual, she was listening patiently.

"So... Daniel and Teal'c could be engaged by now?" she asked with a bit of humor.

"I... don't know," he admitted and her eyes widened a bit and then she looked down before looking back up at him... inviting him to continue.

"The High Councilor extended his 'deepest, sincerest apologies'," and here she could hear the quotation marks through his tone of voice, "and then he left... I couldn't decided if I should go and find Daniel and Teal'c and drag them back to the rooms, or if I should just try and sleep it off and look for them in the morning. I couldn't focus my thoughts on... that... my mind fell right back into the tunnel-vision that had started before the High Councilor came by. I was pacing and prowling... I don't know how much time passed...and... then suddenly I just knew what I had to do... It was all crystal clear. And I knew that I _had_ to do it."

"I picked up my gear and headed back across town to the Sandaran Gate. I also kind of hoped that the 5-6 mile walk in the night air might help clear my head. But it didn't. The Sandarans were everywhere. Partying. Dancing. Just having a grand old time like it was Mardi Gras in New Orleans. And they all seemed to know who I was, or at least who the Tauri in these clothes were," he paused again for a breath and then continued, "All across town offers to stop and join various groups of partiers were extended. Some seemed disappointed when I declined, but others... just seemed pleasant..." _Here he was doing a bit of editing again, as almost all of the offers to 'join the festivities' had come from beautiful women, of all ages. Several times, one of them was actually able to temporarily divert his attention from his goal. But not for more than a few minutes, and then he would make his apologies and return to his journey across town. As he'd said to Carter, some had looked disappointed, but most seemed to recognize the burning in his eyes that was driving him... those folks almost patted him on the back as he would turn back to his journey._

"I walked back to the Sandaran Stargate and gated to the SGC. Once there, I got some supplies and stuff together and then gated to P5X-846," that was one of their 'Safe Planets'... sort of like a 'safe house' for protected witnesses. A Safe Planet had a stockpile of materials for SGC teams that might get stranded off-Earth if for some reason Earth's gate was not available for awhile. The stores were protected by a failsafe that would incinerate and destroy the supplies if an improper code was used the open the storage lockers. That way any non-SGC personnel would not be able to access or use any of the supplies. Now that the new Alpha Site was established, the 'Safe Planets' would become backups to the backup.

"I didn't tell anyone at the SGC why I was going or when I was coming back. I just told them that I was under orders. Once on 846, I basically took all of the supplies and materials that I could move by myself and gated it to here." Glancing over and meeting her eyes, he didn't see any condemnation yet, just concern at this point. But he knew that what was coming next might easily change that.

"Next... I gated from here to the new Alpha Site...," and he paused. "After arriving, I zatted and then lightly tranqued the SFs and technicians on the graveyard shift. And then I went and... got you...," and he winced, "and then I gated us to 846, and then from there to here."

Sighing, he continued without looking at her, "Once I got us here, I...uh...," and he gestured towards the destroyed DHD.

Silence descended again.

He was waiting for her to say something now.  
Probably anything.  
But she really didn't know what to say yet.

Her eyes contemplated the DHD from where she sat.  
It still looked as damaged as it had before.

Next, her eyes scanned the area around the gate again. The stack of supplies. The vegetation, the weather... and the sun that was dropping lower and lower in the sky.

P8X-539 had a climate slightly similar to Earth's. Typical chlorophyll-based plant life. No dangerous indigenous plant or animal life had been found on the reconnaissance surveys. The only reason that it hadn't been chosen for the new Alpha Site was its location. As they said in real estate... Location, Location, Location. P4X-650 had had a better location than 539...650 was a in a relatively 'quiet' region of the galaxy, but the region of space around 539 was considered just a bit _too_ desolate.

It was sinking in.

They were stranded.  
Well and truly stranded.

No one knew where they were.

They would be able to trace his path to P5X-846, the 'Safe Planet'...  
...but there they would lose the trail.

* * *

_- - -_

_TBC_


	6. Stranded

_It was sinking in.  
__They were stranded.  
__Well and truly stranded.  
__No one knew where they were.  
__They would be able to trace his path to __P5X-846, the 'Safe Planet'...  
_..._but there they would lose the trail. _

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 6: STRANDED**

- - -

But she had to make sure that it _was_ him. There was still the possibility that she was dealing with an android double such as Harlan had created... or a Replicator double.... or he could be a clone...

"Sir?" she broke the silence in the lengthening shadows.

"Yeah?" he answered softly from across the steps.

"I... need to make sure that you are _you_," she was holding her K-bar combat-issue knife in her hands.

He stared at her for a moment and then reached his hand out for the knife. She stood, stepped over and placed the knife on the plywood board that lay over the middle of the steps. Moving back, she retook her seated position.

Not moving until she was reseated, he slowly moved over and picked up the knife. Quickly turning the knife, he scored his left palm. Setting the knife down, he held his hand out so that she could see the small line of blood where the sharp edge had cut his skin.

She ran through the possibilities in her mind... he wasn't an android double like Harlan had created... and he wasn't a Replicator. He could still be a clone... but if he was, then he was still effectively Jack O'Neill.

Of course, there was one other nasty possibility... this could all be a delusion. A hallucination. Fifth could be standing next to her right now, with his fingers in her mind... controlling and dictating what she perceived as reality.

She mulled that one over. With Fifth's other delusions, she had been able to sense the falseness... she could feel that things were not right. If this here and now was one of his delusions, then he was getting much, much better at them.

If this was a delusion or a hallucination, then she'd just have to wait until she could figure out what was going on. Because it sure didn't feel fake this time. As whacked-out as this whole tableau was, they'd lived through ones even less plausible in the past.

- - -

Turning her attention back to the man on the other end of the steps, she remembered his cut hand and dug her medkit out of her pack. Slowly standing up again, she stepped over and placed it on the plywood, right where she'd placed the knife a short while ago. He watched her silently and did not move until she had retaken her seat again.

"Thanks," he spoke softly and she just nodded.

A few minutes later, his hand treated with antibiotic cream and a small bandage, he replaced the medkit where she'd set it and moved back to his self-appointed seat. She made no move to retrieve the kit.

"Sir, how do you feel now?" Her tone was cautious, concerned... and he could sense her wariness.

"Pretty much like normal now. Had a bit of a headache when I woke up... and it took awhile to remember what happened...," and his voice trailed off again as they both remembered his exit from the clearing earlier in the day.

"I was hoping that it was all some sort of weird, alien drunken dream or hallucination...," he continued, "but... when I saw the DHD... I...," and he clenched his eyes shut. "I can't tell you how sorry I am Carter," he apologized again.

If what he was telling her was the truth... and if this wasn't all some delusion... if the two of them were truly stranded on this planet, then she knew that she was going to be hearing his apology a lot. He'd feel guilty until the day they were rescued. And if they were never rescued, then he'd never let go of the guilt.

She was going to have to do something about that. She wasn't sure what, because she knew this man and she knew that he would not allow her simple words and ameliorations to pardon his actions.

Well, at the very least, she thought, she could make the first move, so she stood up and shifted her P90 so that it hung down in a more relaxed position. She could feel his eyes and she knew that he was watching her every move. Looking up, she met his gaze and then slowly stepped across, stepping over the plywood ramp, to stand next to him. Extending a hand to help him up, "I think we'd better set up camp for the night, sir," her tone respectful and polite without any shade of anger or condemnation.

"Carter! I kidnapped you and stranded us on a planet who-knows-how-many light-years from Earth!" he leaned away from her in horror.

"Well, I think it's something around 1800 light-years from Earth, sir," she went for a soft, but cheeky smile, hoping to lighten the tone a bit.

"Eighteen hundr-... How the hell do you know that?" he blurted out before he thought it through, but he came to his senses quickly.

"Do you really want to know, sir?" she gave him a slightly larger grin now.

"No, no, no...," he grumbled and then returned to his original complaint. "Carter, how can you... we can't just act like nothing... like I didn't... What if I start behaving all... 'weird' again?" While talking he'd been scooting himself back away from her and he was now on the far edge of the steps. Any further and he'd fall off.

"Sir," and she sighed, "Alien influence, remember? We've been there before... when we had the Touched Virus... I jumped you in the locker room, but you somehow managed to keep working with me for years after that... so...?"

"Somehow this here-," and he swept his arm out at the clearing and the planet they were standing on, "seems just a whole lot bigger than jumping you in the locker room..."

"I'll give you top honors for the largest scale, sir," she was smiling again. "I apparently just didn't think big enough when I was Touched," and her eyes were twinkling a bit.

"Carter, don't commend my actions. I basically pulled 'A Caveman' on you... not much different than clubbing you over the head and dragging you off to my cave!" She blanched and then blushed a bit at his analogy... actually an attractive combination on her face... and then realizing where his thoughts were going, he mentally chastised himself.

"Carter, you need to stay away from me – who knows what I might do next!" He felt like shit for what he'd done and he figured she should be ranting and railing at him. At the very least, he figured that she shouldn't want to come anywhere near him. And here she was, extending her hand to help him stand up.

But she looked slightly exasperated now, "Sir, I read the reports from the recons of this planet. No intelligent life. No people, no civilizations, not even _any cavemen_ apparent," she stressed. "So, what are we going to do? Each of us picks a piece of the planet and we live like hermits? _That_ is not going to work for me," a short pause and then, "Sir." As if she felt like her tone had overstepped the bounds of her role as his junior officer.

He shook his head and tried to marshal some rebuttals, but she beat him to it, "And I'm going to have to sleep, sir. There's no way I can defend myself 24/7 – not from you or anything else we might discover on this planet. Neither can you. Sir, we have to work together, or we're not going to make it," and she paused again. "And I _really_ don't want to spend countless years stranded all by myself... so don't you dare pull anything like disappearing into the night in some misguided attempt at protecting me from you."

She didn't bother to add the 'Sir' this time. She was laying down some rules. Period. Regardless of General-Colonel military decorum. This was about two people stranded thousands of light years from home.

He looked up at her. Assessing. "Carter...," he started, but his tone of voice was enough for her to interrupt,

"Sir, we can argue about this some more tomorrow," or the day after that... or the day after that, she thought to herself, "but for now, the sun is going to set pretty soon, and we need to set up a camp."

He was still uncertain. "Carter, I'm giving you an order that if I come at you again, you will shoot first and ask questions later," he gave that one a go and waited for her reaction.

She knew it was highly doubtful that she'd be able to shoot him without a lot of evidence that left her no other choice, but to get him moving, she replied, "Yes, sir," and extended her hand again in an offer to assist him up from the steps.

He studied her face for another moment and then reached up to clasp her hand and let her help him up. They both knew that they needed to talk about this more, but not tonight. For now, survival took precedence.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_


	7. Vandi

_He studied her face for another moment and then reached up to clasp her hand and let her help him up. They both knew that they needed to talk about this more, but not tonight. For now, survival took precedence._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 7: VANDI**

- - -

**_Hours earlier, on Sandara_**

"DanielJackson, you must wake up now," and Daniel opened blurry eyes to see the towering Jaffa standing over him.

"Wha-a-?" was all that the archeologist could manage at the moment.

"We must return to the SGC immediately," Teal'c replied imperturbably, as if his comrade was fully awake.

"Why?" Daniel finally started to get with the conscious world.

"Something is wrong with O'Neill," came the terse reply.

"Something's wrong with Jack?" and he sat up quickly. "Where is he?"

"GeneralO'Neill has returned to the SGC," Teal'c supplied.

"He left without us?" Now Daniel _knew_ that something was wrong.

"Yes, he left a message for us with the High Councilor's adjutant. O'Neill was not feeling well last night and returned to Earth. He left instructions that we were to follow as soon as we were awake and ready to depart."

"Allright, give me a few minutes to get dressed and pack up. We should speak with the High Councilor before we leave," Daniel advised.

"I concur," the Jaffa returned while moving to a window as Daniel got up.

- - -

A few moments later and they heard knocking on the door. Teal'c answered while Daniel continued to pack.

"Sir, is Doctor Jackson with you?" asked Captain Swahija from SG-8.

"Yes, Captain," the Jaffa replied.

"Sir, Colonel Chavez needs to speak with the two of you in the High Councilor's office as soon as possible," the young officer informed him.

Daniel stepped into view with his pack. "We were just on our way there, Captain."

"Yes, sir, if you'll follow me," and Swahija turned and headed down the hallway. Teal'c picked up his bag and fell in step behind his teammate.

- - - - - -

Escorted into the large office by Captain Swahija, they found the rest of SG-8 and the High Councilor awaiting their arrival.

"Colonel Chavez," Daniel greeted the officer who nodded in return. "What brings you to Sandara?"

"We came to retrieve you and Teal'c," Chavez started with. "But we need to speak with the High Councilor first," and then he paused a beat before continuing. "General O'Neill returned to the SGC last night and then exhibited very unusual behavior. We need to determine if there was something on Sandara that was the cause."

Daniel started to shrug, but then a blush stole across his cheeks as he thought about how he'd spent the evening. Luckily for him, the High Councilor chose to speak up, "Colonel Chavez, I must apologize on behalf of the Sandaran peoples. Last Eve we celebrated our new alliance with the Tauri by sharing 'Vandi' with General O'Neill, Doctor Jackson and Teal'c." At this Daniel looked up in surprise while Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow.

"'Vandi'?" the Colonel repeated.

"Yes, Vandi is a powerful aphrodisiac which enhances feelings of love and desire. Vandi is a rare substance on our planet and we only partake of its benefits a few times each 92 years. While both Doctor Jackson and Teal'c apparently reacted normally to the Vandi," and here all of SG-8 stared openly at the two men in question, "unfortunately, General O'Neill appeared to experience adverse reactions. I must apologize profusely for my people. We were unaware that anyone had ever had a negative reaction to Vandi."

Colonel Chavez tore his attention from Jackson and Teal'c to study the High Councilor thoughtfully. "Can you tell us anything else about this 'Vandi'? It's a... love potion?"

The High Councilor took on a look of admonishment, "Vandi is nothing so crude, Colonel. Vandi normally allows a more free expression of love between mates, it enhances desires and... well... it enhances the sexual experience. As I explained to General O'Neill, Vandi does not turn our people into nymphomaniacs looking for an orgy. Usually, each person seeks out his or her mate... and they have a...wonderful evening. The unmated seek out like-minded souls and enjoy a partnership for the evening. Quite often, these... experiences lead to betrothals and marriage. When we inquired earlier, neither General O'Neill, Dr. Jackson or Teal'c said that they were currently promised or wedded to anyone."

"Ri-ight," Colonel Chavez responded. "And you don't have any experience with any negative reactions to this 'Vandi'?" The officer reiterated for clarification.

"I could ask our doctors and historians, but I do not know of any myself," the High Councilor replied. "It would help if I could tell them what General O'Neill is currently experiencing."

"Yes Colonel, what's wrong with Jack?" Daniel asked, hoping that Chavez had clearance to speak about it in front of the Sandaran official.

Chavez studied the High Councilor for a moment and then glanced at Daniel. "General O'Neill returned to the SGC last night where he assembled some unidentified supplies and then he gated to one of our safe sites. A little while later, he gated into the new Alpha Site," and both Daniel and Teal'c jerked their heads up a notch at that and Chavez could see the gears turning in both men's minds. "He zatted and lightly tranqued the SFs and technicians on duty, and then took an unconscious Colonel Carter with him when he gated back to the safe site."

Chavez stopped to let the two men of SG-1 and the Sandaran official digest this information. The two men of SG-1 looked stunned. The Sandaran looked thoughtful. Continuing, "After notification of the incident at the new Alpha Site, Colonel Collins sent SG-4 to the safe site. They didn't find any trace of the General or the Colonel. They did, however, discover that most of the supplies cached at the safe site were gone."

"Gentlemen, are General O'Neill and Colonel Carter... in a personal relationship?" the Sandaran strove to keep to diplomatic wording.

Chavez deferred to the two men of SG-1. Daniel could feel the eyes of the other SG-8 soldiers on him as he answered, "No, they are not. We four of SG-1 have been a team for many years and we share deep, personal bonds, however, General O'Neill and Colonel Carter have never been anything less than professional." Teal'c nodded somberly.

"Well, perhaps they have feelings for each other that neither you nor they have openly acknowledged," the Sandaran suggested softly. "That would explain much regarding the General's behavior and symptoms last Eve. If he subconsciously knew who he truly wished for a mate, and that person was not here, then that might explain his extreme feelings of unrest."

"Do your people do this sort of thing? Abduct people when under the influence of this 'Vandi'?" Chavez kept all accusation out of his tone and tried to stick to a demeanor of curiosity and concern. Daniel was impressed by the military officer's restraint.

"No... but then our mates are not on other planets. And there are many unmated who are willing during the festivities, so if one's initial choice is taken or does not reciprocate..., there are others...," the High Councilor explained patiently, if a bit naively.

They spent another hour speaking with the High Councilor and some of the leading Sandaran doctors and historians. No one was aware of a Sandaran reaction to Vandi that resembled O'Neill's. The consensus was that there was something in the difference in physiologies between the Sandarans and the Tauri... something different that reacted adversely with the Vandi. Of course, they repeatedly pointed out that Daniel and Teal'c, however, had reacted 'normally.' Daniel blushed each time, and as the hour wore on, he caught the members of SG-8 smirking at the two men of SG-1.

Finally, they decided to return to the SGC to check on the status of the investigation at that end. The Sandarans promised to continue to delve into their historical records for any information that might be helpful or relevant.

Back at the SGC, Daniel, Teal'c, SG-8, Sgt. Siler and a few technicians assembled in the briefing room where Colonel Collins was acting commander of the SGC. They had watched security tapes showing O'Neill's arrival and departure from the SGC, as well as his arrival and departure (with Carter's unconscious form) from the new Alpha Site.

Daniel was greatly disturbed by the images of his friend's face. There had been a burning intensity of purpose that scared the archeologist a bit. He really didn't believe that Jack would harm Sam, but he also didn't know what the Sandaran's Vandi was doing to the man.

Jack O'Neill had been through so much in the past 8 years. Altered by Ancient technology and then back again by the Asgards... aged a lifetime in a few days on Argos... transferred into first Teal'c's and then Daniel's body before getting back to his own, thanks to Machello... oh, and uploaded into the Asgard mainframe of the ship DanielJackson...memory wiped to become Jonah...Hathor had made him a Jaffa and given him a symbiote pouch... thank goodness for that sarcophagus... too bad it got blown up... taken over by that alien intelligence in that sphere that had pinned him to the wall... temporarily taken over by Anubis' wandering malevolent spirit... Hathor had also put a symbiote into him... which had been cryogenically killed before blending... and then there'd been the Tokra symbiote Kanan who'd abandoned him to Ba'al's tender ministrations... he'd had his mind probed by Humanoid Replicators...and the list went on.

Daniel knew that Jack O'Neill was an intense man, one of deep convictions and deep feelings. But the Jack O'Neill that Daniel was familiar with was in control and always had himself under tight reign. Oh, he may mouth-off and act irreverent around any of TPTB (The Powers That Be), but Jack O'Neill always maintained control over the hidden depths of his being.

That man on the security tapes, however, had lost some of that control. Inner desires and needs were being allowed to dictate actions and events. And that scared the archeologist.

"Any ideas where O'Neill may have gone?" Colonel Collins repeated his question to shake Jackson out of his reverie.

"Um, what?... Sorry...," Daniel apologized.

"I do not know where GeneralO'Neill may have gone," Teal'c replied in his deep tones and Collins nodded and turned back to Jackson.

Catching on, Daniel replied, "Neither do I, at least not off the top of my head. Teal'c and I can brainstorm that if you'll give us a couple of hours, though."

Collins nodded his agreement and then asked, "What do you think he'll do? Do you think he could harm Colonel Carter?" He had to ask, it was his job.

Daniel took a breath before answering, so Teal'c spoke up, "I do not believe that O'Neill would ever intentionally cause any harm to SamanthaCarter. I am, however, unfamiliar with how this Vandi is reacting with O'Neill's unique physiology," the Jaffa honestly amended.

Daniel nodded, "I agree with Teal'c. Jack would never knowingly harm Sam, but the Vandi did something to him... something...," and he couldn't articulate what he didn't know so his voice trailed off.

Collins nodded again, "Let's just hope that either the Vandi wears off and the General brings them both home soon, or that Colonel Carter wakes up and can get in touch with us." And with that he summarized their best options.

Seventy-five minutes later and Daniel and Teal'c had assembled a list of potential planets that they knew of where a Jack-on-drugs might potentially seek harbor. The list included the Land of Light, Argos, Edora, the planet of the Nox, etc.

Colonel Collins tasked SG-4, 7 and 9 with the methodical search of the areas around the Stargates on these planets. They were to talk to the friendly indigenous people and ask for any information regarding the recent appearance of either of the two missing officers. On Daniel's recommendation, Colonel Chavez and SG-8 along with a couple of SGC medical personnel were sent back to Sandara to work with the Sandaran doctors and historians.

Over the next week, Daniel and Teal'c accompanied various teams to different planets. Searching and speaking with the natives. But no sign of the missing officers was found.

A message was sent to the Asgard asking for their assistance, but no reply had returned yet.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_


	8. Vivid

Author's Note: The next few chapters are wrought with angst and the mood of the story gets darker (for hopeful shippers) -- but shippers should hang on for the long haul, because there will be better times, and ship, in future chapters... starting with Chapter 11, I believe... :)

Thanks to all who've reviewed, you've provided the motivation for me to spend all day Saturday and part of Sunday working on what is becoming a saga!

_

* * *

_

**Back to the story:**

_Over the next week, Daniel and Teal'c accompanied various teams to different planets. Searching and speaking with the natives. But no sign of the missing officers was found._

_A message was sent to the Asgard asking for their assistance, but no reply had returned yet._

- - -

**Ch 8: VIVID**

- - -

_**Back on P8X-539**_

- - -

She'd been extremely wary of him the first evening and neither of them had slept much that first night. But as the days passed and neither of them exhibited any unusual behavior, she'd relaxed a bit and fallen back on her long-learned trust in him.

He didn't. Trust himself, that is. Most of the time, he was careful to keep a distance between them. He couldn't be sure if he would have any type of 'flashbacks' from the Sandaran Vandi. When they needed to be close together, he was on edge... trying to maintain alert and vigilant of his behavior.

In contrast, in spite of her claims that she could take care of the first-aid for her feet, he insisted on helping her rebandage them every morning and evening. He'd warred within himself over the need to stay away from her and the need to help her because she was injured. So he'd settled for quietly working as quickly as he could until he was finished and could re-establish the distance between them.

Her ribs, however, he couldn't do anything about. There was nothing to do but wait for them to heal on their own. Doctors didn't even usually strap them up anymore. But he knew that she was in pain whenever she stretched too much, tried to pick things up... or even breathed too hard.

She wouldn't tell him how it had happened, either. She would either brush off or deflect his questions whenever he broached the topic.

He knew how her feet had been cut and bruised, but he'd searched his memories and could not remember any incidents or events where she was injured before they'd woken up in the clearing.

And yet, he seemed to remember everything else so_ vividly_... from the time on Sandara to the SGC to the Safe Site and the new Alpha Site and all the way to P8X-539, where they were now. He could remember each action clearly and intensely. He remembered zatting the Alpha Site personnel and then hitting them with light, half-dose tranquilizing darts.

He also remembered swapping the half-dose darts out for the full dose ones before finding Carter, though. And then he'd hit her with two of the full strength darts, because he remembered her resistance to the sedatives used by the aliens who'd gained that Foothold situation on them a few years back at the SGC. Neither she nor Teal'c had fully succumbed to the normal dosage of sedatives that had worked on the rest of the SGC personnel.

So, he remembered hitting her with two of the full-strength darts. And the look of shock on her face was etched clearly in his mind. He winced as the vivid memories flashed before him now. The dosage that he'd given her was dangerous as it interfered with the subject's respiration and cardiovascular system.... in other words, too much of the drug could have paralyzed her lungs and/or her heart. But he hadn't thought of that at the time. He'd simply been fixated on his goal of getting her unconscious and through the gate.

He winced at the oh-so-vivid memories of destroying the DHD with his P90 on full automatic. He remembered _needing_ to do it. That it was necessary and essential.

And then he remembered making made a few trips to this clearing. Piling and stacking supplies. And then he'd carried her here.

And then... and then here his memory got a little fuzzy... he remembered being tired... and feeling the overwhelming need to sleep. But his addled brain was worried that she wouldn't be there when he woke up. So, he remembered taking her shoes and socks off so that she would be able to go too far too fast.

And the cuffs. He'd been just about ready to drop. Tired and with overwhelming fatigue sweeping over him. He'd carried her across the clearing... away from the supplies, her shoes and anything she might use to pick the lock on the cuffs. Next, he'd lain down on the ground next to her and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around to hold her tight. And then he'd snapped the cuffs on.

And then he'd succumbed.  
He'd fallen asleep.  
Unconscious for all effective purposes.

And he didn't remember anything else before waking up with her sitting in front of him on the floor of the clearing.

He winced again. The cuffs and lack of shoes had worked. She hadn't gone anywhere. She'd been there when he'd woken up. Of course, when _she'd_ woken up, she'd probably felt like shit and been hardly able to move due to the extra-strength dosage of the tranquilizer. He wasn't sure how long she'd been awake before he'd awoken, but she'd obviously been awake for awhile as she'd had time to shake off most of the effects of the drugs.

But he still couldn't remember when her ribs had been injured... the only time that seemed possible was between the times after he'd gone to sleep and before he'd woken up.

A sick feeling stole across his stomach. In his mind's eye, he could visualize the two of them spooned together, with his arms wrapped around her waist. The sick feeling in his stomach intensified as he realized that he must have squeezed her so tightly that he injured her.

He wanted to throw up. He couldn't remember squeezing her, but he was certain that that was what must have happened. To be honest, he was almost glad that he didn't remember that part... because if he had to remember it with the same clarity and intensity that he remembered the rest of the events, then he didn't think he'd ever be able to face her again. It was hard enough as it was.

He had a feeling that the Sandarans considered these extra-vivid, almost-tactile memories as another of the benefits of their Vandi. He could remember what he did and how he'd felt at _each_ moment.

On Sandara, he'd felt jittery and restless... until he'd focused on his objective.... until _The Plan_ crystallized in his mind. After that, he'd been calm and deadly serious... as if undertaking one of his countless Black Ops missions.

He knew that none of it would have happened if not for the Sandaran Vandi... but what Carter didn't know was that he had _wanted_ to do what he was doing. A deep, buried part of his soul had _wanted_ to cart her off to a place like this where the two of them could live in peace.

Without military regulations in the way. Without any planetary or interplanetary crises. Without supervillians like the Goa'uld or the Replicators. Without such large responsibilities. Because neither himself nor Carter was capable of avoiding their duty or obligations. And a large part of him despaired because he knew that those responsibilities would never go away. Not until one or the both of them were dead or injured too severely to continue.

Neither he nor Carter wanted to be the hero. Neither of them was looking for a cape. It was just a case of the 'right people at the right time'... and all that...

So the Vandi had allowed him to break them free of their responsibilities.

On a deep level inside himself, he'd _known_ what he was doing.  
He'd known _exactly_ what he was doing.  
But the Sandaran 'peyote' had allowed him to break the rules.  
To do it anyway... in spite of the rules.  
Because he wanted to... because a part of him _needed_ to.

The Vandi had allowed him to suppress his conscience... just enough.

He looked over at Carter. Right now, she was working on the back wall of their shelter. Weaving and interlacing the branches and leaves that they'd culled from the nearby deadfall.

She didn't know. He hadn't told her.  
He hadn't told her _everything_.  
Because he didn't understand it.  
Because he was afraid of the implications.  
Because it was only the two of them here, and they needed each other.

She had written the entire set of events off to 'Alien Drugs/Alien Influence'.  
And that was true... at least on the surface.

But he knew what was beneath.  
He knew his driving motivation.

If only she knew.  
...If only she knew...

His thoughts drifted back to a few weeks before they'd left for Sandara. It had been Major Brian Greenawalt's bachelor party. O'Neill had known Greenawalt since Brian had been a Captain in the Gulf War. A solid soldier. Competent and reliable. A stand-up guy.

So there they'd been... twenty or so military men... lots of drinking... lots of back-slapping and telling of tall-tales... Lots of gibes at the man soon to lose his bachelorhood.

And then there'd been that question.... Who would you most like to be stranded with on a deserted island? Greenawalt was given no choice – he would have to be stranded with his new wife-to-be, of course. And the others had all chosen the hottest 'babes' that they could think of... Angelina Jolie, the Baywatch version of Pamela Sue Anderson, etc., etc. When pressed, Jack had volunteered his standby: Uma Thurman... but that really was not what he was thinking... no, he'd been thinking of Sam Carter. And while the guys' not-so-gentle banter drifted into the background of his thoughts, he'd fantasized about getting stranded on a desert island with one Sam Carter.

And now here they were.  
Just the two of them, stranded on this planet.

He didn't even know how she truly felt towards him.  
He didn't even know how _he_ truly felt towards _her_!

They'd never had a chance to spend much time together socially.  
And never just the two of them alone.  
Not just Jack and Sam.

- - - - - - -

"Sir?" she'd stepped around to where he was working on the side of their shelter... it was going to be big enough to protect a couple of tents and most of the stacks of supplies as well as provide partial cover for the fire - serving as a wind-break and slight overhang while still having plenty of open space for ventilation. At least, that was the plan...

"Yeah, Carter?" he looked up.

"I'm going to head down and get some water and then start fixing dinner, if that's allright?"

"Carter, I'll get the water," he informed her.

"Sir, I can take care of it. It will only take a few minutes," she was tiring fast of his 'mothering' over her.

"Carter, I said I'd take care of it," he repeated himself and couldn't keep the exasperation out of his voice.

"Yes sir." Her tone was clipped and he could see the angry glint of rebellion and indignation in her eyes, but she didn't contest his authority.

Well, a part of him _was_ trying to push a bit. To make her stop treating him like The General. It was just the two of them stranded here... So he felt that honorifics such as 'Sir' and 'General' were a bit excessive. She'd refused, of course. She still maintained the proper military decorum. Sir here, Sir there, General this and General that.

He figured if they were here long enough... and if he was cranky just one too many times... well, she'd just have to lose it... she'd just have to give him a verbal barrage that overstepped those military protocols. He didn't think anything else was going to do it.

- - - - - - - - - - -

So here they were.  
Just the two of them.

Just like in his fantasy.  
And yet, not.

Because he couldn't have her.  
It wouldn't be right.

Because he'd stranded them here, she now had no choice.  
No choice but him.

So how could he enjoy that?  
How could he enjoy that romantic fantasy?

He couldn't.

As long as it was just the two of them here, then he'd never know how she truly felt for him. He'd never know if she loved him more than anyone else. Because there was no one else for her to choose.

- - - - - -

The universe was screwing with him.

He was convinced of it.

Or maybe it was the Asgards... or some Goa'uld supervillian.

But someone who wielded a lot of power was definitely having fun at his expense.

And probably laughing their asses off... if they _had_ asses, he thought acerbically.

He was stranded with Sam Carter.  
Just the two of them on a planet without a Stargate, thousands of light years from Earth.  
Just the two of them.

Should be romantic, right?  
The stuff of fairy-tales, right?

Wrong.  
Oh, so very wrong.

Now, he was stranded with what he wanted, but he now couldn't have.

Definitely _not_ the stuff of fairy tales.

He had no clue how to fix this.

- - - - -

Finally, he decided to take the first few weeks one day at a time, while they established their camp and explored the immediate surroundings. After that, he could look at things a week at a time – he was certain that Carter would want to try working with what was left of the DHD. And if that didn't pan out, then they could set their sights on longer-term goals. And a long-term relationship between the two of them... whether they would decide to just be good friends... or to try for something more. All of which assumed that they didn't discover that they drove each other freakin' nuts on a day-in-day-out basis!

So, first things first. Camp, surroundings, followed by the DHD.

- - -

_TBC_

_- - -_

* * *

_Author's note: Regarding Jack's introspection into how Sam's ribs were injured... I figured that I'd need to deal with that issue, but I couldn't figure out how to lead into it until fallingfromelysium's reviews gave me the proper motivation! :) _

- - -


	9. Tropical

_Finally, he decided to take the first few weeks one day at a time, while they established their camp and explored the immediate surroundings. After that, he could look at things a week at a time – he was certain that Carter would want to try working with what was left of the DHD. And if that didn't pan out, then they could set their sights on longer-term goals. And a long-term relationship between the two of them... whether they would decide to just be good friends... or to try for something more. All of which assumed that they didn't discover that they drove each other freakin' nuts on a day-in-day-out basis!_

_So, first things first. Camp, surroundings, followed by the DHD._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 9: TROPICAL**

- - -

_**PX3-071**_

- - -

A warm, tropical ocean rimmed by beautiful white sands greeted them as they stepped out of the 'Gate. Today, Daniel and Teal'c had joined SG-9 in the hunt for the two missing officers.

SG-9 was a specialized unit that consisted of Colonel Ying, Major Portrare, Captain Brunsfeld and Dr. Rider, a civilian scientist. Colonel Ying was one of those typical hard-core special-forces officers. Major Portrare, a military doctor, had spent a year with the Tokra and had expertise in alien physiology. Captain Brunsfeld had special training with K-9 units and a little training in veterinary medicine. Dr. Rider had both a doctorate in linguistics and a doctorate in zoology with a specialty in feline anatomy, physiology and behavior.

Consequently, SG-9 was a special unit that was typically sent to worlds with unusual and/or exotic wildlife. Their team was renown amongst the SGC personnel for establishing contact with a world populated by an intelligent species that looked amazingly similar to the dragons of legends on Earth. Dr. Rider had garnered such a mastery of the alien language and behavior that her military teammates had affectionately tagged her with the moniker 'Dragon'. As with most such 'handles' in the military, the nickname spread quickly throughout the rest of the SG teams and was also easily adopted by the scientific and technical staff in the secure mountain complex.

Looking around PX3-071 today, however, neither Daniel nor Teal'c saw any evidence of _any_ life. Not human or exotic or alien.

- - - - - -

A few hours later and they had regrouped in front of the alien Stargate. The group was currently comparing their observations while grabbing a bite to eat. Colonel Ying was assessing and evaluating each person's comments so that he could decide whether or not they should expand their search area or conclude that the missing officers had not come to this planet.

"Did you see anything Brunsfeld?" Major Portrare asked the young Captain.

"Not a thing. Not any signs that anything human had passed by recently... not even any signs of any large animals of any sort," the young officer reported and then turned to Doctor Rider, "How about you, Dragon?"

"Nope, I didn't see anything either," the zoologist responded while watching the two members of SG-1 carefully. "Did either you or Teal'c see anything, Doctor Jackson?"

Daniel just shook his head 'No', so Teal'c spoke for them, "We did not, DoctorRider. Except for the Stargate, we did not find any other indications of human life on this planet."

"I'm sorry," Rider apologized genuinely to the two men.

"You need not apologize for that which is not your fault, DoctorRider," Teal'c responded.

"We do appreciate your concern, however, Doctor," Daniel temporized the Jaffa's words because many who were unfamiliar with the large man's stoic mannerisms often misunderstood his terse or measured tones for displeasure or censure. "We also appreciate your feedback and ideas into our search for Jack and Sam," Daniel continued and she sent him a soft smile and a nod of acknowledgement.

Near the end of their first week of searching, when Daniel and Teal'c had joined SG-9 to check Edora for signs of the missing officers, Doctor Rider had approached Daniel and Teal'c and suggested that they should rethink and expand the current selection of planets being searched. Daniel and Teal'c had initially chosen planets where SG-1 had met friendly natives where Jack might expect to be welcome. Doctor Rider, of SG-9, however, had politely pointed out that the extent and type of supplies taken from the Safe Site might indicate that Jack was thinking of somewhere more sparsely populated.

As a result, Daniel and Teal'c had made a list of less-populated planets where Jack had made favorable or appreciative comments. The list was, not surprisingly, fairly short. On their first pass through, they'd avoided planets with too many trees (or where Jack had simply made memorable disparaging remarks about the trees)... or where there was too much sand... such as the various Tokra planets....or planets where the weather was habitually wet or cold... or too hot...

They'd come up with a list of 14 planets to search next.  
Planets where there were quiet lakes with fish... or warm tropical beaches...

This planet, PX3-071, had been on the top of their new list.  
Warm, tropical waters alongside sparkling white sand beaches.  
Sub-tropic climate... at least in the region where the 'Gate was situated.  
A few local alien equivalents of palm trees.  
Colorful local flowers.  
Not too many bugs.

When SG-1 had come here years ago, Jack had been enamored of the setting and had stretched their 12-hour initial reconnaissance survey into a 4-day, relaxed excursion. They'd found no indigenous intelligent people in the region around the 'Gate. And, except for the 'Gate, they'd found no other signs that humans had ever visited this planet.

Both Sam and Daniel had gotten bored fairly quickly. Sam fell into her military persona to hide her boredom, but Daniel had no such restraints and began asking Jack when they would be returning to the SGC. Teal'c even went so far as to voice his opinion in agreement with the archeologist's.

Jack, on the other hand, was in no hurry to leave and simply continued to plan one walk after another in different directions from the 'Gate. Ostensibly to search for Daniel's rocks (artifacts)... but they all knew that he really didn't want to find anything. He just wanted to spend a few days bumming around this beautiful planet.

They'd finally decided that PX3-071 may have been just what it looked like... a vacation spot for the Ancients, or whoever placed the Stargate there. None of them could see any other reason for it's presence on this planet.

Over the subsequent years, Jack had often made comments about returning to PX3-071... especially when SG-1 had found themselves on a planet that was too wet... or too cold... or too windy... or that had too many trees... or too much sand...

But, Jack wasn't here now, Daniel thought to himself. Jack wasn't here, nor was Sam. He hadn't brought her here.

- - - - - -

"Well, Ladies and Gentlemen," Colonel Ying addressed the group after the rest break. "Does anyone see any reason to continue searching for General O'Neill and Colonel Carter on this planet?"

"No sir." "No." "No sir." "Unfortunately I do not, ColonelYing." And the respectful negative responses overlapped.

Sighing, the Colonel nodded reluctantly, "Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, is there anything else that you could suggest that we look for before we leave?"

"I do not know of any such thing, ColonelYing," Teal'c replied as Daniel just shook his head in resignation.

"Dragon, Brumsfeld, Portrare, any exotic life here that we should make a note of before we leave?" he asked his team.

"No sir," chimed the two officers while Rider replied less formally, "Not that I can see, Henry."

"Allright then, folks. Let's police the area and be ready to depart in 10," the Colonel ordered. The group silently began packing up while Brunsfeld took the last few video images for the records.

- - - - - - -

Two hours later, after the requisite infirmary check-outs, followed by showers and a quick debriefing, Daniel and Teal'c joined Doctor Rider, Captain Brunsfeld and Major Portrare for a late lunch in the commissary.

The conversation had wandered from a rehash of their observations on the planet, to a run-down of the planets that they planned to search next, to Daniel's colorful retelling of Jack's comments regarding his boredom with tree-filled planets.

"PX3-071 was such a beautiful planet... it's too bad that we didn't find them there," Doctor Rider commented and no one objected. PX3-071 was a beautiful planet. Gathering her courage, she forged ahead to ask what most of the personnel at the SGC were dying to know, "How do you think Colonel Carter reacted when she woke up..?... wherever they are... to discover that the General had kidnapped her... I mean even under alien drugs and all..?..," and there her voice trailed off as she watched the two remaining members of SG-1 uncertainly.

"I am certain that ColonelCarter behaved as the excellent military officer that she is," Teal'c replied in tones that brooked no argument.

Seeing the others trying to hide looks of disbelief, Daniel spoke up, "Sam will undoubtedly wait until she has all of the facts before she decides to react... she's a scientist as well as a military officer, and the scientist demands facts and rational behavior," he elaborated.

"Yes, but... he basically kidnapped her," the civilian zoologist countered. "Surely she'll be... just a little pissed? I mean I would!"

"Well, yeah, she might be _a lot_ pissed," he admitted, "but she probably won't let it show right away, not unless he interrupted any of her serious calculations or experiments at the Alpha Site," Daniel sent a small smile over to the feisty zoologist.

"Well, if it had been me, after I'd made sure that he was over the effects of that Sandaran Cocktail, I think I'd kick his ass!" Her feisty words were laced with humor and Daniel couldn't help but smile at the image of Sam Carter giving Jack O'Neill the what-for! "I mean alien drugs or not, he could have at least picked PX3-071 – now _that_ was a planet that a girl wouldn't mind waking up to!"

In spite of his worries about Jack and Sam, Daniel found himself mind wandering a bit as he wondered if Dr. Rider was currently unattached from any serious relationships. Hmmm... if she wasn't, he'd have to make a note to ask her out after they got Jack and Sam back.

_- - -_

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - -

Author's Notes: Doctor 'Dragon' Rider, Captain Brunsfeld, and SG-'9', are all in homage to fanfic author iamdragonrider and her fanfic epic 'Nine Lives' (which can be found here at Fanfiction's website).I created Major Rider so that I could incorporate iamdragonrider's review where she observed that Daniel and Teal'c were initially searching populated planets whereas the stock of supplies that Jack confiscated implied a... perhaps more desolate location...

And the last bit (about Dr. Rider's comments regarding Sam's reaction to the whole scenario) was also to incorporate reviewers' comments (such as from fallingfromelyssium) through Chapter 5. Iamdragonrider, in particular, stated: _"Wow. Carter's taking it a whole lot better than I would. I would have kicked his ass, alien influence or not lol."_ :)

Having Daniel get amorous thoughts regarding Dr. Rider... that's just where Muse took it... :)

- - -


	10. Defining Hero

"_Well, if it had been me, after I'd made sure that he was over the effects of that Sandaran Cocktail, I think I'd kick his ass!" Her feisty words were laced with humor and Daniel couldn't help but smile at the image of Sam Carter giving Jack O'Neill the what-for! "I mean alien drugs or not, he could have at least picked PX3-071 – now _that_ was a planet that a girl wouldn't mind waking up to!"_

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 10: DEFINING HERO**

- - -

**_Back on P8X-539_**

- - -

The first few days had actually passed very quickly, Sam reflected. They had the campsite to build. Something fairly sturdy and weather resistant, because they were most likely going to spend a long time here.

They worked well together, falling into patterns developed over more than 8 years of working in the field side-by-side. Fires were maintained, meals cooked, the shelter worked on, etc. They split the night into two basic watches with the General taking the first and she with the second.

Sam's feet were healing quickly because they had all the proper medical supplies. Her ribs were still sore, but only time could heal that. O'Neill watched her carefully and stepped in any time he saw her reach for something too heavy or awkward that might strain her abdominal muscles and/or ribs. Like all members of SG-1, she quickly grew weary of, and had little tolerance for, such types of 'mothering'. Especially when afterwards, he would take the earliest opportunity to place as much distance between them as he could.

She consoled herself with the fact that he hadn't insisted that she tie him up at night or some such. That would not have worked anyway, because it would have left him defenseless... which would have required that she stay awake to protect both of them if something hostile approached or attacked their camp. And they both needed sleep.

She didn't think he got much sleep though. She had a feeling that he was afraid to go to sleep... that he was afraid that his subconscious would take over and do something to her. She was getting to the point of considering slipping sleeping pills into his dinner.

As the days passed, her mind often wandered to his tale of the events on Sandara and how the two of them had ended up stranded here. A part of her was flattered, because he'd come across the galaxy for her and then had brought the two of them someplace secluded to live together. Highly romantic. The stuff of grand-scale legends and tales handed down through the ages.

But the realistic side of her knew that he'd been under the influence of an alien drug at the time and that she couldn't hold him responsible for his actions. Any more than she'd been held responsible for when she'd jumped him in the locker room when she had the Touched virus.

For her, she knew that _that_ episode had revealed a part of her that she strove to keep hidden. Thankfully, Janet had diagnosed her choice of him as due to his being the 'Alpha Male'... Sam was forever grateful that Janet hadn't said something like, 'Well, gee, maybe the Captain has a crush on you Colonel!' But Janet had always been more professional than that.

Sam acknowledged to herself that she _had_ had a crush on the strong, virile Colonel Jack O'Neill when she'd been a fresh-faced Captain. And then, over the years, the four members had all developed the deep-comradeship that often grows between special-forces types of teammates. She had a deep and abiding love for all three of the men of SG-1. She'd come any time that they needed. Drop whatever she was doing, if they asked. She'd sacrifice her life for any of theirs. As she knew that they would for her.

Teal'c was a solid, comforting force; a protector. Like a strong, sage uncle.

Daniel was like a brother. A kindred spirit intellectually.

General O'Neill. With this man she had struggled to define her feelings. She'd had a crush on him and she'd struggled to keep it hidden. No one was going to be impressed with a female Air Force officer who was ga-ga over her immediate male superior. And over the years, her feelings had morphed, grown deeper, and become more difficult to define. She'd come to trust and respect his leadership and direction.

And yet, there was something more there than just the deep-friendship and loyalty for a teammate. No, she felt something more. Not the crush, no that had metamorphosed into true hero-worship. She truly did see Jack O'Neill as a hero. He'd saved the world repeatedly, and at great personal risk and cost. He would always set himself in the line of fire in order to sacrifice himself to save the others.

So, she had the crush, which had merged and morphed with her feelings for him as her teammate and superior... all mixed into and with Jack O'Neill, The Hero.

Once she'd recognized these feelings, she was a bit embarrassed when she reflected on some of her actions in the past. She couldn't believe that others hadn't picked up on her feelings. She tried to be the consummate professional air force officer, but she knew that Sam Carter's feelings and personality poked through more often than she intended.

One of the first glaring instances was when she'd gone back into Hathor's mock-SGC set-up... ostensibly to set charges to take down the power/control source for the forcefield... but she'd stopped by... to check on the Colonel... who they all thought had been Goa'ulded... Yes, her feelings for him had shown through clearly that time. All had ended well as a Tokra operative had saved the Colonel by using the cryogenic pit to kill the Goa'uld before it could properly blend with him.

But the three months when he'd been on Edora had been the epitome of what she now recognized and understood about herself and her feelings for him. She had worked non-stop to develop previously unknown technology to bring him home. To live up to the credo 'No One Is Left Behind.' She'd worked harder and longer, and pulled out more small miracles of physics, than she ever had on any project in her life. Because she was doing it for him.

And she knew now, looking back with the eyes of experience, that it had been obvious to those around her. It was undoubtedly obvious to Janet, Daniel and Teal'c... and probably General Hammond, as well. At the time, she hadn't thought about how her actions would reveal her feelings. She'd been too wrapped up in her goals. To reach him and bring him home.

And then they'd done it. Gotten through to him. To discover that he'd moved on... he'd given up. And he'd found someone to love. Someone who loved him.

Sam would never forget the scene at the Edoran Stargate as they'd come to greet him, the words still echoed in her ears and she knew that she'd never forget them. 

_"You must be very happy to be going home," Laira commented.  
__"No, I'm not," O'Neill returned and his tone of voice emphasized his words.  
__"You don't have to...," Laira offered.  
__"Come with me...," he countered with.  
__"I belong here," she gently turned down his offer._

And he'd come home to Earth with them. As was his duty.  
On Edora, he'd found that simple life that he seemed to want.  
And they'd dragged him away from it.  
He'd retired before and the Air Force had called him back, and he'd answered.  
Just as he did when he left Edora. He did his duty.

She'd never worked so hard for something, for someone..., succeeded in her efforts... only to have it end so sadly. Her heart had ached at realizing that he had found someone to love. She knew that she couldn't have him, but she still felt jealous.

And sad. Sad that she'd taken away from him what he'd truly wanted.  
That life on Edora with someone who loved him.  
No wars, no Goa'uld, no weekly crises of galactic proportions...  
Just a simple life with a woman he loved and who loved him.

-------

And then he'd gone on that horrid undercover mission within the NID. And, in true Jack O'Neill style, he'd played the part to the hilt. More words seared into her memory.

"_Is there anything I can do, sir?" She tried to offer concern and support._

"_About?" He'd returned abruptly._

"_Well Sir, with respect, you aren't exactly acting like yourself," she was careful with the words... trying to stay away from anything that he might take the wrong way... but she had been totally unprepared for his response..._

"_No Carter. I haven't been acting like myself since I met you. _Now_ I'm acting like myself."_

His words _still_ hurt. Even after the reason for his actions had been revealed... even after Maybourne and the others were sent off to jail. Even knowing that he'd been undercover.

She knew that she was letting her feelings show too much.  
She knew that she had inappropriate feelings for her CO.  
And she knew that she needed to 'get a grip' and move on.  
She needed to act like the professional officer that she was purported to be.

But it wasn't easy.  
Not when you have a crush on a hero.  
Who had actually become more of a super-hero over the time that she'd known him.

- - - - - - - - - -

And then there'd been the Ancient armbands and that scene on the Goa'uld ship just before it blew. He'd refused to leave her, even though she was trapped behind that forcefield and the ship was going to blow any minute. At first, they'd both thought that his concern was the same that he would have shown for any of his team.

But when Anise had come around with her memory recall devices and that infernal Tokra lie detector... they'd both learned that things were much more complicated.

"_I didn't leave ... because I'd have rather died myself ... than lose Carter," his spoke carefully._

"_Why?" Anise had asked._

"_Because I care about her ... A lot more than I'm supposed to," more carefully spoken words._

Sam knew that at that point in time, she and Colonel O'Neill had had feelings for each other that somehow went deeper than just colleagues or even comrades. But she really didn't know exactly what his words meant. They'd both ultimately passed the Tokra's Zatarc Detector... after admitting to having those deep feelings. But 'those' feelings hadn't been specified or explained. Not then, and not later.

She'd been the one to offer the idea that they leave their admissions of those feelings 'In That Room.' And how hard that had been. There was the off-chance that he really, truly felt deep, romantic love for her. But she didn't believe it. Not in her heart. Because he was Jack O'Neill, Superhero. The world needed him. Heck, the Galaxy needed him. Just ask the Asgard the next time they beamed him up!

But even now, some of her confused feelings for the man still surfaced... were still visible to those who were watching closely. She would jump to attention a bit too nervously after he was promoted to General. She didn't do that with other Generals... not General Hammond or General Vidrine, for example. Just with him. Just with General Jack O'Neill. With this man, she was still off-balance.

So, was she in love with him? Yes, but she had to be realistic. He was her superior officer and definitely off-limits. He was a world-wide and galactic hero and she was just lucky to have served with him. Did she love him? Yes, in some ways similar to how she loved Daniel and Teal'c... and in other ways, as the man she'd had a crush on, and as that larger-than-life Hero.

_"For almost seven years she had placed her commanding officer on a pedestal with which she compared all men she met. But when she had been alone on the Prometheus suffering from a very bad concussion she had come to a realization. First and foremost was that he _was_ on a pedestal, and he would have to remain there. He was something that she could admire but could never have" _after Airam4u's fanfic 'Time To Think', Chapter 4

He was a hero. One who shouldn't be mired in petty court-martials because he had a female 2IC who had feelings for him. He deserved so much better than that. He'd always responded to his duty when called. Even when retired. He didn't deserve to have toads like Kinsey tear his life's work apart because of her.

She knew that she'd always be there for him if he asked for her help. She'd always hurt when he hurt and feel deeply for anything that affected his life. She would defend him against all who talked disparagingly about him. She would always strive to be the kind of officer and subordinate that he expected and needed.

But what about now? Stranded here, there was only the two of them.

As time passed, neither of them would have anyone but the other to turn to.

What would they do now?

There weren't any galaxy-wide crises to solve here. This was similar to Edora in that they would have to have a simple life... the kind of life that he seemed to yearn for.

No woman wants a man just because there were no other women to pick from. OK, maybe that wasn't true... maybe some women would be just fine with this scenario. But Sam Carter wasn't one of them. Sam Carter didn't have a large ego... she wasn't known for her vanity or self-absorption, but she also couldn't bring herself to accept a man's affections... because the male pitied her... or was simply desperate.

But time might change that. She already loved him in so many ways. It probably wouldn't take much for her to love him as a romantic partner too. And... if he reciprocated those feelings...

Shaking her head, she broke her train of thought. This was not getting her anywhere productive right now. If they were stranded on this planet long enough, the two of them were going to have to talk about some of it. She didn't know what the resolutions or answers would be, but she wasn't going to solve them today.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

**Author's Notes: Airam4u's fanfic 'Time To Think' can be found at ****www**_dot_**fanfiction**_dot_**net/s/2052190/1/ -** just replace the _dot_s with periods.

**And ongoing thanks to all who put the countless hours into the website SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts at www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm - **again, replacing the _dot_s with periods. I referenced the following transcripts while researching details for this chapter:  
_Episode 317 "A Hundred Days", Transcript by Sarae  
__Episode 318 "Shades of Grey", Transcript by LizzieAnne  
__Episode 405 "Divide and Conquer", Transcript by AQ_

- - -


	11. Progress

Author's Note: Now that we're past the dark, ansty chapters, it's time to see about getting the "ship to sail" as janissima so aptly described it. However, I think Sam and Jack have to build the boat before they start sailing! :) So... it's going to be slow... but here it is, the beginning of my ship...

- - -

* * *

- - -

_She already loved him in so many ways. It probably wouldn't take much for her to love him as a romantic partner too. And... if he reciprocated those feelings... _

_Shaking her head, she broke her train of thought. This was not getting her anywhere productive right now. If they were stranded on this planet long enough, the two of them were going to have to talk about some of it. She didn't know what the resolutions or answers would be, but she wasn't going to solve them today._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 11: PROGRESS**

- - -

As they passed the end of their first week on the planet, Sam wondered what she should do next. The General rarely spoke unless it was necessary. He mostly brooded. And during meals, he always kept the fire between the two of them. As if he was afraid that he'd suddenly lose it and jump her.

She'd tried talking to him, of course. She'd tried to open conversations. But he wouldn't reciprocate. So she had a choice of handling the conversation by herself, or to just fall silent. Silence won more often than not.

She'd repeatedly stated that she didn't hold him responsible for their current situation. And when that didn't work, she tried saying that she forgave him – even though she didn't think that there was anything to forgive, because he couldn't be held responsible for his actions while under the influence of an alien drug.

But so far she had failed to pull him out of his self-flagellation.

A week. It had been a week. Normally, she would have let him keep brooding, figuring that he could take his own time to heal and come to terms with the latest traumatic episode in their lives. But these weren't normal times. Here, the two of them were alone with no others to turn to.

She'd known a week ago, when she was sitting on the steps to the Gate. She'd known that he would own the guilt. She'd seen the problem. Identified it accurately. But she still had no idea how to solve that problem. She could jury-rig a naquadah reactor to an alien ship, but she couldn't rewire a psyche, or a heart.

Well, dinner was over and the dishes were cleaned up and put away.

And here they sat.

On opposite sides of the fire.

In silence.

Again.

She could pull out one of the laptops that he'd packed. That had been a surprise. There were three laptops and four backup harddrives in amongst the supplies he'd taken from the SGC and the Safe Site. And extra rechargeable batteries, with a solar recharger. Unfortunately, he hadn't snagged a laptop from her lab at the SGC, because then she might have gotten a copy of the dialing program. They'd still need a power source for the 'Gate... but she thought she could hotwire what was left of the DHD to bypass the damaged portions in order to be able to control the 'Gate's power source. That was her next project right after they were finished constructing their shelter and the rest of the campsite.

Manually dialing would be arduous with only two of them and that dialing program would have been sweet. She could try resurrecting portions of the code from memory, but she didn't want to fry a jury-rigged, hot-wired gate... they'd probably only get one chance at that.

So... she brought her gaze up from the flames of the fire and her thoughts back from her potential Gate project. Glancing over at the man across the flames, she caught him looking at her, but he quickly shifted his gaze back to the flickering light between them.

She decided to go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

"Sir, I need your help," she tried for a start and he met her eyes with a questioning look, so she ventured forth, "I'm going to go nuts if we are going to spend the next who-knows-how-many weeks, months or years not talking to each other."

"We talk, Carter," he objected, but he knew it was feeble.

She raised an eyebrow ala Teal'c, "Yes, sir, we say, 'Pass that log,' and "I'll get water from the river,"... but that's not _talking_, sir."

"Carter, I can't-," he started and she cut him off, not liking where he was headed.

"Yes, you can sir. And if you don't, I'm going to lose it. Go right around the bend. You'll come back from the river with water one day, and I'll be over there desperately having a full-blown discussion with a tree!" Small victories, she thought to herself as she saw a small smile flit across his face as he conjured up an image of her talking animatedly with a tree.

"Carter, I don't think that you are in any danger of losing your grip on reality to the point of talking to trees," and to her delight, the small grin wasn't being chased away.

"Sir, I know that I'm not a social gadfly-," and he couldn't help but interject, "Nah!" with an exaggerated look of surprise.

"Har, har, sir," she replied.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted me to talk," he pointed out, but the grin was still on his face, so she gathered her courage to continue.

"I know that I can lose myself in a project or on my laptop for days on end-," and he chimed in with, "To the point of forgetting to eat or sleep...," and then he gave her a look that challenged her to deny his statement.

She wasn't that foolish, so she attempted to continue, "At any rate, what I'm trying to say is that I am not someone who normally needs a lot of social interaction on a daily basis-," and she held up her hand warningly to stop his next comment. He acquiesced, but a familiar smirk settled on his face. Sighing, she continued, "But, I do need _som_e social interaction, sir. Some dialogue about... oh, I don't know. We could just start with the weather or some equally innocuous."

"Are you going to use lots of multi-syllabic words like innocuous? Because we don't have a dictionary and even if we did, I don't like to have to think hard when I socialize," he teased with feigned distaste.

Well... they did have a thesaurus of sorts... the word processing program on the laptops sufficed in a pinch, but she didn't think that now was the time to mention that. "I'll try to keep it down, sir, although you may have to remind me when it gets too annoying," she easily replied and then swallowed her delight at his surprise. He had no clue how far she was willing to go to get him to start talking. If agreeing to shorter words was one of the conditions, then she had no problem with that!

A few moments of silence passed while they tried to decide who would speak next... and about what. To her surprise, he spoke up first.

"I have one condition," he opened with, while watching her closely.

She widened her eyes and shrugged, "What?" She had no clue what he was going to say, but she felt like she'd agree to almost anything.

"You have to call me 'Jack', and stop calling me 'Sir' and 'General'," he stated and lifted his chin a notch while waiting for her reply.

They both knew why he was asking for this. He'd ordered her to call him Jack on the second day and for every day after that. His reasoning was that he wasn't her superior officer anymore. Not after carting her off and stranding her on an alien planet. But she had steadfastly continued with the military decorum, because she felt that he deserved it. She still saw him as her CO, and she didn't blame him for their current situation.

She sighed. She had thought that she was ready to agree to anything. But she didn't want to agree to this with the ultimate result being confirmation in his mind that she blamed him. On the other hand, she also desperately needed to break him out of his self-imposed prison of brooding.

Looking him straight in the eyes for a moment, through the smoke wafting up from the burning wood of the campfire, "Allright, but you have to call me Sam," and she waited for his reply.

He looked uneasy. She'd called his bluff...ok, maybe it was just a semi-bluff. She'd refused to capitulate on this point all week and he was unprepared for her to give-in. And he wasn't sure that he could call her Sam. The whole reason that he wanted her to stop calling him 'Sir' or 'General' was because he didn't think he deserved that respect from her anymore. But he also didn't think that he deserved the intimacy of calling her by her given name.

As he tried to collect his next statements for their negotiation, he looked over at her... and she was smiling. Just a small, hopeful smile. No recrimination, no anger. Just... Sam Carter with an honest invitation.

He nodded, "Allright," he relented and her smile widened to show her teeth.

"Thank God!" she sent her gratitude into the evening air.

"Which God would that be Car-... Sam," he fumbled and then ended almost tentatively.

"It's allright, sir-," and then she grinned ruefully at her own blunder, "It will take us both awhile to lose the habits entrained over more than 8 years..., Jack," and she said his name deliberately, to show that she too was going to make it work.

- - -

They spent the rest of the evening chatting about relatively 'safe' topics. And, he jokingly did start off asking her about the weather... whereupon she responded by deliberately starting to spiel off technobabble regarding what she knew and had observed about this planet's weather. He'd interrupted her cheeky monologue and changed the topic to Cassie.

The conversation that first night was not easy and there were many silences where they struggled for the next sentence or the next topic. But it was a start.

At the end of the evening, as Sam headed to bed and Jack settled in for the first watch, he asked with his customary smirk, "So, do you think that will save you from talking to trees?"

"I'm not sure," she responded to his surprise, "I'll let you know after a few days," and she gave him a grin before crawling into her sleeping bag.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	12. Deleting Monday

Author's Note: The next few chapters deal with some of the aspects of their survival and exploration of their new planet. There's a little light banter, a few warm-fuzzies, some planetary-science technospeak and then a little cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 14... :) Muse is taking the ship slow... these two are still in the process of 'building the ship.'

* * *

- - - 

**_Back to the story:_**

_At the end of the evening, as Sam headed to bed and Jack settled in for the first watch, he asked with his customary smirk, "So, do you think that will save you from talking to trees?" _

"_I'm not sure," she responded to his surprise, "I'll let you know after a few days," and she gave him a grin before crawling into her sleeping bag._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 12: DELETING MONDAY**

- - -

The second week passed a bit more slowly than the first week. They finished the basics of their rudimentary shelter and camp which was situated in that clearing where they'd woken up that first day. Sam had wired an alarm that would go off if an incoming wormhole was established. The alarm would be silent in the area around the gate, but would be received on some of the equipment that had been in the stores of supplies. Solar rechargers again allowed them the reassurance that they would not be left unprotected after a few weeks.

The clearing was far enough from the 'Gate that newly-arriving hostiles would not be able to immediately take them by surprise, yet the clearing was close enough to the 'Gate that they would hopefully not miss the arrival of friends or allies.

They were still maintaining the night watches, although they had discovered and set-up a camp alarm system that utilized motion sensors and lasers. They had yet to see any other sentient beings... or even any large animals... hostile or not.

Small game abounded in the form of rodents, small animals similar to rabbits and raccoons and fish. Insects were common... and they both hated the local equivalent of spiders... these had an extra 4 legs as well as a mucous coating that was just... well disgusting. The greenish-yellow-grey color didn't help either.

Something like small gnats swarmed around 3pm and seemed to prefer the brightest pockets of sunlight beaming through the trees. The two of them often took refuge in the shade near the river to wait out the flying hordes.

They each had a few small bug bites, but so far neither of their immune systems had reacted to anything of consequence. Apparently the alien bugs and venom didn't like Tauri blood or flesh. And both officers were quite allright with that!

- - - - - - -

Food was an important concern. The supplies contained enough rations and asundry food items to cover their needs for roughly seven or eight weeks. After that, however, they would have to survive on whatever the planet could provide. As a result, they needed to start testing the native foods to determine what was safe and what was dangerous.

They would need meat, fruits and vegetables to start with. Just in case their initial native diet was lacking in any essential vitamins or minerals, they had vitamin supplements in the stores of supplies that should last for 4-5 months, as there was only the two of them. After the vitamin supplements ran out, they would just have to hope that the native food provided enough of a balance for their bodies to remain healthy.

For meat, they started by zatting one of the native rabbit-looking critters. Roasting the meat over a fire, Jack insisted on being the first guinea pig and he ate just an ounce or so. Chewing carefully, he proclaimed it a bit tough and stringy, but with a flavor more like venison than chicken. They both waited and watched apprehensively throughout the next day to see if his system was going to reject the alien food. Other than a slight case of the 'runs', however, there appeared to be no other side effects and they declared that the rabbit-like creatures were on their new menu.

Two days later, Jack returned from a water-run to the river with another of the zatted, small critters. Roasting it over the fire as they had done with the first one, they had their first native entree.

They collected samples of the native vegetation that appeared potentially edible. One plant revealed purple-blue carrot-like tuber roots which looked extremely promising. A small brushy plant had some small fruits which were similar to a cross between an apricot and an orange.

Sam played guinea-pig for the small fruits and when their one-day trial period passed, Jack tested them as well. The purple-blue carrots also went over well with both of them.

Jack, on the other hand, spent 7 hours groaning from stomach pain after testing one of the yellow-green elliptical fruits of some small gnarled trees.

The process of identifying the safe vs. dangerous foods was going to take time. And they were going to have to be extremely careful, because if they were unlucky enough to encounter something that was poisonous in very small quantities, they would have no hospital to take refuge in.

- - - - -

So far, the weather had been extremely hospitable. The days had been pleasant in the 60s to low 80s (Fahrenheit) during the day, while dropping to the 40s and low 50s at night. They didn't know what local season it was, nor how severe the seasons would get. Neither of them could remember any warnings regarding the weather from their memories of the reconnaissance surveys of this planet.

Sam had built a small sextant and was taking measurements of the angle of the sun at local noon. Adding this to the data about the angle of the rotational axis from the night sky and they would eventually be able to figure out this planet's axial tilt with respect to its sun. This would explain a lot about the severity or intensity of the weather that they could expect.

Watching the stars traverse the night sky, they quickly identified the star that was closest to the local equivalent of Earth's Polaris (The North Star). Jack named it Oz and the name stuck when all Sam did was try and smother one of her half-smiles.

Sam patiently measured the declination between the local magnetic north and the planet's rotational axis (geographic north) as determined from Oz's azimuth. Calibrating their compasses accordingly, they would be able to navigate with either their compasses or the night sky... if the sky was clear enough.

- - -

This planet had a 28-hour day and they currently had approximately 18 hours of daylight followed by 10 hours of night. They both had the special SGC offworld watches that allowed them to keep one mode set at SGC local time on Earth, while they could set the second mode to match the natural daily clock and calendar of any alien world that they visited. Sam set both of their watches so that they measured a 28-hour day and so that local noon matched when the sun was at its highest elevation.

For civilians, this new 28-hour day would have been divided into midnight to 'fourteen-o'clock PM' (local noon), and then noon to fourteen-o'clock AM (midnight). However, military time actually meant that the two officers simply read the 28-hour day as midnight to 1400 (fourteen hundred) and then on to 2800 (twenty-eight hundred) for midnight. Unlike civilians who would find thirteen o'clock and fourteen o'clock strange, the military officers had to adjust to the new late night hours of 2500 (twenty-five hundred), 2600 (twenty-six hundred), etc.

They realized that their longer local day meant that every 6 days here were equivalent to 7 calendar days on Earth. As a result, they decided to establish a 6-day local week, so that they could easily compare weeks passed both here and on Earth.

Deciding to stick to the 'regular' names for the days of the week, they had to decide which day to cut out of their calendar. Sam, being logical, stated that it would probably be the easiest to remove a day from either the beginning or the end of the week... hence, she recommended removing either Sunday or Monday from their local week.

"We have to keep Sunday. No discussion. No one removes a part of the weekend from _my_ calendar!" Jack insisted and Sam simply rolled her eyes in amusement. "Now _everyone_ hates Mondays!" he continued animatedly. "So we cut out Monday!" He declared.

She shook her head while smiling at his words and tone. "Allright, Mondays are hereby gone," and she tapped a few buttons on her watch, "and our local week is now Tuesday through Sunday." That would mean that they would be basically in-synch with the SGC calendar on Tuesdays and would slide progressively out of synch until Sunday. Monday would then never happen here and they would jump to Tuesday.

"Sam, do you know how many people on Earth would love to be able to cut Mondays out of their calendars?" he asked her.

"I don't hate Mondays, Jack," she countered just for the banter.

"Aw, come on, Sam, you've _never _hated Mondays?" he protested with disbelief. "Not even when you were a kid and had to get up and go to school?" and then he realized that that was a mistake... he'd forgotten who he was talking to, and her raised eyebrow told him all he needed to know... she'd _liked_ school! "OK, there has to have been _sometime_ in your life when you hated Mondays! Everyone does!"

She looked thoughtful, "Well, I have to admit that I didn't look forward to Mondays after I got transferred off of the Stargate project and sent to the Pentagon," she admitted.

He looked over at her sympathetically and his thoughts wandered back in time as she worked on setting the local calendar on his watch. He'd looked thoroughly into her background and personnel records after Hammond had told him that he had no choice but to have the young scientist on his team over eight years ago. Her evaluations and personnel records indicated and described a brilliant mind and an excellent officer. Most of her CO's had been loathe to allow her to move on from their commands.

So he'd wondered, why hadn't she been there when they'd gone through the gate the first time? It wasn't in her records. Just the standard transfer paperwork sending her to the Pentagon shortly before Katherine Langford enticed Daniel to attempt to translate the symbols on the gate.

Before SG-1's first mission, Jack had confronted Hammond with his questions about the details of the backstory of the new 2IC for his team. Specifically, if she knew so much about the Gate, then why wasn't she there when they'd first gone to Abydos? What had she been doing at the Pentagon?

Hammond had informed him that the Project Leader Dr. Katherine Langford, had not been given any choice when Carter had been transferred off the project. The Air Force had decided to shut the program down. Although Captain Carter had figured out how to get the 'Gate to power up, they hadn't figured out that the symbols created Gate addresses. They needed someone with linguistics expertise such as Daniel had with ancient languages and hieroglyphics.

And so the Air Force was closing the project down, and they were slowly dismembering Dr. Langford's research team. When they transferred Carter off the project, Katherine had become desperate because she knew that the project time could now be counted in just a few weeks or days. And so she sought out Doctor Daniel Jackson. Archeologist... and considered a general crackpot amongst his colleagues. Because he was talking about aliens. Katherine didn't know if anything that Jackson was saying was even remotely true, but she knew that there was good evidence of aliens on Earth. And the biggest piece of it was sitting inside Cheyenne Mountain.

So Carter had been sent to the Pentagon. And when the Air Force was assembling the team that would go through the gate, the bright and promising young Captain Sam Carter was not considered expendable enough to send through the 'Gate to who-knows-where. An eccentric archeologist and a suicidal retired special-forces Colonel, however, were. Expendable that is.

And so they went without her. And he was pretty sure that she was still pissed about that. He hadn't understood the young scientist aviator officer who had presented herself in that briefing room oh-so-many years ago. But he knew her now. And she'd been right. He had come to like her as he'd gotten to know her.

She didn't consider herself so special as to be less expendable than those around her. And she had a burning drive to explore. She'd wanted to go through the 'Gate... just to find out what was on the other side.

That's why she'd joined the Air Force in the first place. Not to follow in her father's footsteps... not to carry on a family tradition... No, she originally joined the Air Force with the ultimate goal of NASA and flying space shuttles and maybe walking on the Moon or Mars.

And that led him to the one question about her history that he still didn't know the answer to. Not even today, more than eight years after that initial meeting. What had derailed her from the 'astronaut track' to work on that ancient metal ring?

Hammond wouldn't give him the details. Nor would Carter. As the years had passed and his confidence and admiration of the scientist officer had grown, he'd gone back to her personnel file looking for that answer. But he didn't find it. She'd been flying jets in the Gulf War, and then there was a notation of a Classified mission, and then she was transferred out of the active pilot's rotation and back to the States, where she was assigned to a minor Air Force research facility.

And that's where Katherine Langford had found her. Chomping at the bit to do _anything_ more exciting. Even work with an ancient metal ring.

"Jack?"

"Hmmm...Wha-?" he shook his head out of the past and back to the present. He'd drifted off into thought during their banter about deleting Mondays, and she was now finished with calibrating his watch for their local day and week.

"It's all set," she held his watch out for him and he took it absently.

"Um, thanks," he replied as she turned her attention to something on one of the laptops.

His thoughts wandered again... if they actually ended up spending years alone together on this planet... he wondered if she would ever tell him what had actually derailed her original 'astronaut plans'.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	13. Charting Stars

_His thoughts wandered again... if they actually ended up spending years alone together on this planet... he wondered if she would ever tell him what had actually derailed her original 'astronaut plans'. _

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 13: CHARTING STARS**

- - -

"That one is Hathor," Jack proclaimed.

"Jack, I really don't want to think of Hathor every time I look up at night," Sam protested while rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but look," and she looked over to see the silhouette of his arm against the night sky. The two of them were lying on some extra sleeping bags in the middle of their clearing. Naming constellations. Ostensibly to map the night sky in order to help them navigate when and if they had to travel at night. But in reality, they were both enjoying themselves a bit.

They'd taken to spending an hour or so doing this every evening. Taking advantage of the fairly nice weather and general lack of heavy cloud cover. And they didn't have to worry about what to talk about.

It was a little like seeing shapes in the clouds on a sunny day. It was a little whimsical. They could get a little silly. And they could have a little harmless fun with each other... especially when one of them claimed to see the stars connecting to form a shape that the other just _didn't_ see! Or... at least refused to admit to.

They'd already agreed on a set of stars in the form of an elaborate soldier's shield, and named it Teal'c.

A set of stars in the outline of a swan was named for Janet.

An outline of a flower was named for Cassie.

A set of stars that sort of came together in the outline of a monkey... and Jack insisted that they name it Daniel. Although Jack did appear affectionate with his Spacemonkey appellation for the archeologist, Sam still felt that it was her duty to at least voice an objection. Jack didn't take her seriously, however, as he was learning to recognize the smile in her voice even in the dark... so he knew that she thought it was funny, even if she would never admit that to Daniel! So Jack insisted on his Daniel/Spacemonkey constellation.

They each took turns transferring their mapped constellations onto paper. If they were here long enough, Sam was planning to set up a computer program with declination and azimuth coordinates that would plot the night sky with their mapped and named stars and constellations.

They each scanned the glittering sky as their watches progressed. Looking for any notable or easily recognizable constellations that appeared as the stars rotated past. If either of them identified a new grouping, they would sketch the star configuration and then note the time and general location in the sky.

Slowly they were mapping their new perspective on this portion of the galaxy.

With countless hours spent wondering and thinking about those left behind... friends, family and loved ones. Wondering about the SGC, US politics, as well as both planetary and interplanetary situations. Wondering about the Asgard, the Tokra, the Rebel Jaffa, and many of the other peoples that they'd met in their travels.

- - - - - - -

"Now you tell me that that doesn't look like a wicked snake!" Jack challenged after he'd finished explaining the grouping of stars that he proposed calling Hathor.

"Yes, it does look like a snake," she had to agree, "but it's really just a wiggly line... and we could make snakes like that all over the place... and I really _really_ don't want to see a bunch of Goa'uld all over the night sky," she elaborated on her objection.

"Really, really?" he echoed her words to poke a bit of fun at her.

"Would you rather have the multi-syllabic technobabble?" she returned quickly, but he recognized the smile in her voice again and wasn't worried.

Silence descended between them as they each scanned the sky for more recognizable groupings that they could use and name. Jack was allowing himself to relax a bit. He wasn't holding himself so consciously apart from her each and every moment.

"Jack?"

"Mmmm, yeah?"

"How about that group over there?" and her arm stretched across his view of the night sky, pointing across his body and to his right. "There's about fourteen medium-bright stars in a rough circular ring, just above the tops of the trees," she gave him an initial orientation.

He scanned the area for a moment and then he thought he saw what she was describing. They were both getting pretty good at recognizing what the other was visualizing when it came to their game of astronomical dot-to-dots.

"I think I got it...," he was still examining the cluster, "What...?" he started to ask what she thought it looked like, but then he had an idea what she was seeing... "A baseball?" he asked.

"Yes!" he could hear the pleasure in her voice. Pleasure that he saw it the same way that she did. That her 'baseball' really did look like a baseball. And it did... there was a wiggle of 9 fainter-stars across the middle that looked just like the stitching on a baseball.

"A baseball it is!" He proclaimed for her. "Now what do you want to call it?"

Silence answered him for a moment and he pulled his gaze down from the night sky to glance over at her in the dark.

She was still looking up and her voice was softer than before, "Well, I thought you might like to call it Charlie - but we can call it something else if you want," she suggested and he could hear the trepidation in her voice.

Charlie! His thoughts stilled and his breath caught for a moment. Charlie. Absolutely perfect was his internal reaction. They'd named 11 of their new constellations so far... after mutual friends and colleagues. But they'd both shied away from anything too personal for either of them. But the baseball grouping for Charlie... was perfect.

The silence in the clearing suddenly crashed in on him and he realized that he hadn't answered her. And she wasn't pushing, she was just waiting... probably hoping that she hadn't overstepped some invisible personal line between the two of them.

"Charlie is perfect, Sam," and he let a little tenderness in his voice reach her through the dark. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it... I actually saw the baseball the first night we were here, and when we started naming our own constellations, Charlie just seemed like the perfect name... but... I figured it should be your decision, and I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it," she stumbled a bit trying to explain, but he already knew and understood. Charlie was a sensitive topic and the two officers were just beginning to get to know each other as casual friends. Neither of them wanted to upset the delicate balance that they were currently maintaining between respect, professionalism and a growing personal friendship.

A few moments of silence passed while he struggled to word a reply that wasn't too mushy, "Thanks," he finally mumbled and then he had a feeling that she was giving him one of those soft smiles, but it was too dark for him to confirm or deny his suspicions... and he knew that if he shined his flashlight at her he'd only earn a scowl for blinding her night vision.

More time was spent in quiet, companionable silence and then Jack started to notice that he was getting cold. From years of experience, he knew that once he was starting to get cold that Sam would have been cold for some time. "Come on, I'm getting cold, let's call it a night," he avoided pointing out that he knew that she was probably freezing, because he knew that she'd just deny it. When she didn't object, he knew that his assessment was correct. Although she'd taken to bundling on extra clothes when they lay out at night, he knew that lying on the ground motionless would sap the heat right out of them no matter how many clothes either of them wore.

"'Night Jack," she sent softly over her shoulder as she crawled into the tent where their bedrolls were set up.

"'Night," he sent after her as he set to stoking the fire and walking around a bit to wake up for his shift. Setting a pot of water on for some tea, he settled his P90 in his arms as his eyes scanned the camp status. Noting where they'd left certain objects, automatically noting the comforting winking lights of the security system, and scanning the surrounding trees for anything moving or out of the ordinary.

Ten minutes later, his first patrol of their small area complete and his tea steeping, he sat back against a rock and looked back at the stars.

His eyes went unerringly to Charlie's baseball.

Not too far from Oz, he noticed with a small smile.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	14. Vantage Point

_Ten minutes later, his first patrol of their small area complete and his tea steeping, he sat back against a rock and looked back at the stars._

_His eyes went unerringly to Charlie's baseball._

_Not too far from Oz, he noticed with a small smile._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 14: VANTAGE POINT**

- - -

Next, they were planning 7-10 days of scouting the area around the 'Gate and their camp. Mostly they planned short 2-3 day overnight trips. Jack wanted to get a good view from at least one accessible high point. They weren't going to take any unnecessary risks... no rock climbing or such. They had a good store of medical supplies for now, but they didn't have an infirmary or any doctors, so they were going to try and consciously steer clear of avoidable hazards.

They set off towards the north first... heading for the ridgeline behind their camp. Jack took point and began blazing a trail that angled up the ridge while avoiding the densest undergrowth. Sam covered his six, watching for any signs of hostile aliens or wildlife.

They reached a small saddle by late afternoon. Walking along the rocky ridgeline just above the treeline, they continued on a slow incline until they reached the highest point on the ridge. They stopped and dropped their packs to reconnoiter the land around their new home.

The views were breathtaking. The 'Gate was clearly visible, as was their small clearing with its shelter and piles of materials. Beyond the 'Gate, the forest closed in and tree-covered mountains continued as far as the eye could see. The higher ridgelines were the only places where the trees did not completely blanket the landscape. Turning around to look at the view on the other side of the ridge, they discovered that they were standing at the head of an expansive tree-cloaked valley. Sam estimated that the valley was 15 miles across and widening as it wound down and away from them.

"Trees!" And he said it with characteristic Jack O'Neill disgust... and out of the corner of the eye, he saw his objective... because she couldn't refuse the small smile that played across her face.

She wouldn't tell him, but hearing his sarcastic tone and his oh-so-familiar laments about trees, gave her a sense of comfort. All was right with the world when Jack O'Neill was sarcastic and complaining about trees.

She also hadn't admitted to him that she was surprised that he'd chosen this planet. There were trees _everywhere_... blanketing every mountain and hill in sight. Trees, trees and more trees. This was not the type of planet that she would have expected Jack O'Neill to choose.

And then she realized that the presence of all of these trees made this planet even less likely to be searched soon by anyone from the SGC. Daniel and Teal'c would probably recommend searching a volcanic or ice planet before they would think to look on a planet such as this!

"What's wrong?" he interrupted her thoughts.

"What?"

"What's wrong?" he reiterated and added a quirk of his eyebrows.

"Oh, nothing... just lost in thought," she replied and gave him a small smile for reassurance while turning to her pack and digging out the small digital camera.

He eyed her curiously, wanting to know where her thoughts had gone, but she wasn't volunteering that information so there wasn't anything he could do. Short of ordering her to answer him... and he wasn't sure that ordering a subordinate to admit what they were thinking was actually a legitimate order. Besides, he'd shied away from ordering and demanding and the two of them had settled into a relatively friendly co-existence.

They each scanned the 360-degree panorama.  
Comparing, cataloguing and assessing.  
Looking for any signs of life... current or ancient.

No buildings or artificial structures were apparent, however.  
Not even anything that looked like ruins.

Leaving her to the task of snapping pictures of the entire 360-degree terrain, he sat down and started constructing a simple line-sketch map. Noting the major ridgelines and valleys. Marking notable locations such as the 'Gate and their campsite on the valley floor below. Noting any large clearings or cliffs.

He tentatively picked names for a few of the highest peaks or more noticeable rock formations that stuck above the dense forest cover. He used the compass to mark local magnetic north on his evolving map. From the compass settings on its bezel, he also transferred the direction to this planet's rotational-axis-north. When he was finished he made a rough estimate of the scale of his new map and marked that along the bottom.

Finished taking the digital photos, Sam joined him. Critiquing his map and observations and adding some of her own. Next they discussed and negotiated his proposed names for the major peaks and other features. Sam tended to agree to most of his suggestions – unless he chose something like the name of a Goa'uld, or someone like Kinsey. For simplicity, they chose names that they had not already used for their new constellations.

After an hour and a half or so of mapping and studying the particular features with binoculars, they both agreed that they had sufficient local geographic information from this location. Not wanting to immediately relinquish the view from their aerie vantage point, however, they decided that their present location would suffice for a simple overnight bivouac.

- - - - - -

Jack's eyes traveled across the night sky. Routinely identifying their new constellations. The new groupings of stars were rapidly becoming like old friends. Reassuring in their faithful reappearance each evening.

As they were only camping here for one short night, they'd chosen to set up a spartan simple camp for the evening. Deciding to forego a campfire and the mess and fuss of cooking, they settled for cold rations for dinner. As with the previous weeks, the evening appeared had promised a clear sky, so they didn't set up a tent, but simply decided to rack-out under the stars.

His experienced eyes scanned the area around their camp. Watching for anything that moved. Watching for anything that had changed since his last visual patrol. And allowing his eyes to stop and study her on each round. She was one of the appointed checkpoints in his visual perambulation. Tonight she was burrowed deeply into her bag. It was colder up here on the ridge... colder than down in their tent on the valley floor.

He'd almost laughed out-loud at how cute she'd looked with all the clothes that she'd put on before pulling the bag up around her ears. He was pretty sure that she was wearing all of the clothes that she'd brought on their short two-day excursion.

Looking at the position of the stars, he knew that his watch was almost over. He checked his wristwatch for confirmation. He'd have to wake her in a few minutes. He was tempted not to, but he knew that she'd automatically wake up in bit anyway and then she'd just be pissed at him for not getting enough sleep for himself. Back in the days when they'd been Colonel and Captain (or Major), he'd have just pulled rank if she'd started to argue with him. But he couldn't do that here. He needed to let them live more as equals than as superior and junior officer.

It wasn't easy for either of them. He automatically barked orders at times, and she usually responded automatically and without complaint. At other times, he knew that she kept politely silent and kept her own counsel, as the proper military officer should... things such as whatever had gone through her mind earlier on the ridgeline.

Time, it would take time for them to relax the habits and constraints of more than eight years of military strictures and behaviors.

Time.

That was one thing that they just might have a lot of.

- - - - - -

After returning from their short overnight excursion to the top of the ridgeline, they'd spent the next two days at their valley-floor campsite. Checking the 'Gate area for any evidence of visitors... friend or foe. Checking the status of their basecamp and ensuring that no local critters had broken into or disturbed anything. They found everything just as they'd left it.

They built a sturdy campfire and prepared a warm meal for dinner. When the food was cooked, he called her over from where she was finished laying out their sleeping bags in the tent, "Come and get it!"

"What's the entree this evening, maestro?" she asked, pulling on a jacket as she sat down next to the fire.

"Honey-glazed chicken on a delicately seasoned bed of spring field rice," he returned in a haughty tone and an affected air.

"Well, I'm starving," she admitted, "I think it could be plain boiled tofu and I wouldn't complain as long as it was still hot!"

He grinned and then spooned some of the one-pot concoction into each their bowls. Accepting the offered dish, she immediately protested, "Jack, I can't eat all of that!"

"Yeah, that's one of two things we need to talk about," he broached a subject that he wasn't looking forward to and received a puzzled look from her. Taking a breath, he continued, "Look, Sam... you've always been trim and fit for duty, but we're doing a lot of physical work every day out here... and the days are longer... and you're losing weight." Not giving her a chance to protest, he immediately continued, "You're not spending time a lot of time stationary like you sometimes do when working on a project for days on end in your lab - and with the longer days here, you _need_ to take in more calories every day here."

He paused for a moment to give her a chance to speak, and he could see her mental gears turning as she thought through her options. When she didn't respond after a few more moments, he continued, "And, if you could regain that weight, and maybe a little more, then maybe you won't be as cold...," and he was hoping that the promise of warmth might help tamp down her otherwise automatic objections to his proposal.

When she still didn't reply, he ventured, "I really don't want to lose you to some silly cold just because you're body doesn't have the reserves to fight it off."

Another few moments of silence passed before she finally answered. "You've lost weight too, Jack," and she stated it softly as a fact and not an accusation. She surprised him by not denying or brushing off his observations or fears.

"Right, so-," and he held out his bowl to show that he'd taken an equally extra large portion.

She nodded but then added, "You're also larger than me, and men also have higher metabolisms and generally require more daily calories than women."

So... she wasn't arguing that she didn't need to eat more ... but she was including him in his own objective. He studied her for a moment and then gave her a grin and a nod, "I'll agree to eat more, if you will," he offered.

She looked down at the food in her dish and sighed, "It's a good thing that I'm hungry," as she tucked into her meal with gusto. "So... what was the other thing that we need to talk about?" she asked between bites.

"Hmmm? Wha-?" he was still thinking about how easily she'd agreed to increasing what she ate.

"You said that there were two things that we needed to talk about... We covered one, so what was the other?" she prompted.

"Oh. Right!" he shook his head slightly as he refocused. "The second thing was the night watches... with the lack of hostile life and with the camp alarm and gate alarm... I don't think we need to stand watches – unless something changes. What do you think?"

"I agree," she nodded as she continued working on her dinner. "With the alarms set, we should both be able to get some decent sleep." They couldn't keep the watches up forever anyway. Not with just the two of them. Watches with just two soldiers were feasible for a few days or weeks, but not if they were going to be here for months or years.

- - - - - -

Tap, tap, tap.. tap, tap.

Clickety, clickety, click, click, click.  
Muzzily his thoughts began to focus.

Click, click, click, click, click, clickety, clickety, clickety, clickety, tap, tap, tap...

Wh-a-a-? his brain tried to place the sounds into something familiar. Failing that, he reluctantly opened his eyes and blearily identified... trees!

Early morning light...

Clickety, clickety, clickety, clickety...  
Alien squirrels? An alien woodpecker in the distance?

Moving his head to look around, he instantly spied the source of the noises and smiled into his sleeping bag. She was propped up against a rock, with her sleeping bag under and behind her for a cushion and warmth. Bundled up like a military Nanook-Of-The North, she was industriously tapping on the keys of one of her laptops.

They had a total of three laptops, two of which were hers and one was his. He'd tried to decline even the one, but she'd insisted so that he could keep a journal, maintain his own notes on the stars and constellations, etc. He'd still told her that it was just a waste of resources, because he would rarely use the thing.

And then she'd given him a small smile and shown him the games that were installed with the basic operating system. Just a little solitaire, something called minesweeper and a couple of other games. But, she'd piqued his interest and he'd relented. So he had one of the laptops and she had the other two.

She'd been using one laptop to record observations and maintain a short journal. She was also compiling their star and constellation data and observations into one file. The third laptop, she was saving for when they had time to delve into the damaged DHD.

"Good morning," the clicking had stopped and she was giving him a small smile.

"You should be in bed!," he grumbled good-naturedly. With no watches to worry about, they'd stayed up late star-gazing and then been treated to a spectacular meteor shower. At one point they'd counted more than 27 shooting stars (meteors) in 10 minutes. Quite an astronomical pyrotechnic display.

Staying out as late as they had, they had each opted to simply sleep outside for the rest of the night. So... now he was waking up to... trees... and to an apparently bright-eyed Sam Carter industriously working on her laptop at the crack of dawn. Of course, he should have expected it, over their first few weeks here, she'd gotten used to waking in the middle of the night for her watch. Her internal body clock had probably refused to let her sleep through the hours just before dawn.

"I think I technically still am," and she gestured at her rearranged sleeping bag.

"Why are you working at this god-awful hour?" he asked with a teasing tone.

She arched an eyebrow at him with an amused look, "Do you really want to know?," she sent back with a light teasing tone of her own.

"Yes... uh... no... um," because a part of him really did want to know, while another part was afraid that she was a bit too awake for him right now... and she looked primed and ready to let loose with a super-charged technobabble discourse. Taking the coward's way out, he pulled the top of his bag over his head but he could still hear her gentle laughter as she snapped the laptop shut and then began collecting her disassembled bedroll before placing it all back in the tent. Sighing, he reluctantly pulled himself out of the warm sleeping bag to pack up and put away his own bedroll.

A half-hour later and they were seated around the morning campfire, re-inspecting their hand-drawn map and deciding where they should explore next. They had determined that they would take at least three more exploratory short hikes before Sam would try working with the DHD.

Their three objectives included: 1) to reach to the top of the ridgeline on the other side of their valley, 2) to head upstream for a day or two, and 3) to head downstream for a day or two's distance. On each excursion, they would be looking for any evidence of intelligent life – as well as potentially better campsites for the future.

Both officers initially ranked the hike to the opposite ridgeline as the next excursion so that they could augment and refine their area map. However, Sam debated that the hike downstream might be more fruitful. First, most humanoid cultures need water, and most towns and cities are situated near water when it is available. The confluence of several rivers, or around the fertile sediments of a river delta, is often the choice location for a town. Consequently, when lost on Earth, if you follow a river downstream, and keep following the river, until it joins with other rivers, and then keep heading downstream... you will almost always eventually find civilization.

Second, the ridgeline that they'd climbed the other day was significantly higher than the one on the other side of the valley. As a result, the view from the remaining ridgeline would not be as far-reaching as the one that they'd already achieved the other day- and might not reveal much that they didn't already know.

After some more discussion, they decided to move the downstream hike up to top of their list. Again, they packed for an overnight outing and secured all of the camp supplies that were being left behind. With one final check that the camp alarm was set, they headed off.

As before, Jack took point as they picked their way along the river's edge. The dense trees obscured their view of their ridgeline landmarks and their map and compass were put to constant use as they meandered along the river's course. Their progress was slow as they often had to circle away from the river to avoid dense brush, or swampy tracts of mud. They'd tried walking through the mud... but they sunk in to their knees and couldn't make any appreciable distance at that rate.

Sam took point after a short rest stop around lunch time. After a couple more hours of wandering downstream along the valley floor, Sam reached the top of a small rise and stopped suddenly.

Jack instantly froze and scanned their surroundings.  
Searching for threats.  
Listening for anything unusual.

Nothing. Just the gentle noise of the quiet forest of this planet. The trees were swaying gently and the swishing mixed with the sound of the moving water.

He looked up at where she was standing. She too was scanning the area carefully. She glanced back at him and with silent hand signals, let him know that she'd seen something. He pantomimed a query for more information, but she had to shake her head and shrug a bit. While she was carefully scanning the nearby areas again, he slowly moved up to where she was standing.

And then he saw it.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	15. Systematic

Author's Notes: This chapter, and the next, check back in with Daniel and Teal'c to determine the status of the search for our two missing heros.

* * *

- - -

"_Well, Ladies and Gentlemen," Colonel Ying addressed the group after the rest break. "Does anyone see any reason to continue searching for General O'Neill and Colonel Carter on this planet?"_

"_No sir." "No." "No sir." "Unfortunately I do not, ColonelYing." And the respectful negative responses overlapped._

- - -

**Ch 15: SYSTEMATIC**

- - -

_**Back at the SGC**_

"Teal'c, I think we must be going about this all wrong," Daniel sighed as he looked over the list of crossed-off planets on the chalkboard in his office.

"I must agree, DanielJackson," the Jaffa intoned somberly.

They and the search teams SG-4, 7 and 9 had not found any sign of the missing officers on any of the planets on their first or second generation search-lists. For weeks both Daniel and Teal'c had been searching their memories for any references to planets that might indicate where Jack had gone.

Daniel was frustrated. Teal'c probably was too... he just didn't let it show.... Taking it from the most basic, Daniel tried to think it through: First, Jack had to have gone to a planet of which Jack knew the address... and Second, Jack had to have gone to a planet that was fairly safe because Daniel couldn't believe that Jack would take an unconscious Sam into a hostile situation. Therefore..., he reasoned, they should be able to figure out where their two teammates had gone.

"Perhaps O'Neill remembered a gate address from the Ancient information that was once in his mind," and with that, the Jaffa put Daniel's worst fears into words.

"I sure hope not, Teal'c," Daniel answered his stoic comrade. "Because if Jack took them to a planet that we don't have any experience with... or even a gate address for... then we aren't going to find them. The only way that they will come home is on their own."

The Jaffa slowly nodded his agreement.

A few moments of silence passed and Daniel decided to get back on track. Creating List #3. The Powers That Be were still allowing them to search for their missing teammates. Apparently the President and Joint Chiefs of Staff considered the recovery of General Jack O'Neill and Colonel Sam Carter worth the cost of the continued search.

"Perhaps we are just going to have to be more scientific, Teal'c...," Daniel mused.

The Jaffa quirked an eyebrow quizzically at the archeologist.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"If SamanthaCarter had been the one who had chosen the planet that we are searching for, then I would agree that a scientific approach would be most appropriate," the Jaffa explained. "However, as we are searching for a planet chosen by O'Neill...," and he let his statement taper off as he quirked his head a bit and let a small smile just barely touch the edges of his lips.

"Yeah, I agree, Teal'c," Daniel replied. "But I don't know what else to do. We tried to put ourselves into Jack's head, and it didn't work. He obviously went somewhere that we aren't expecting him to choose."

"Yes, O'Neill has behaved most peculiarly," Teal'c responded.

"Right. So, scientific it has to be. I'll work with Sergeant Davis and we'll start by using the computer database to generate a list of every planet that Jack has visited. With or without SG-1. Next, we'll add the list of gate addresses that Jack entered into the SGC computers when he had the first download of the Ancients. After that, we'll take out any planets with known hostile inhabitants or dangerous conditions such as viruses or contagions. With what's left, maybe we shouldn't even try to rank them anymore based on what we think Jack would pick. He obviously chose something that we wouldn't expect him to choose. So maybe we just need to be scientific and systematic with the habitable planets left on the list. Maybe he picked a desert planet... or some sweltering jungle planet... or maybe he just picked a planet full of trees!"

The Jaffa nodded again, "I concur DanielJackson. We must apply objectivity. We no longer have the luxury of assuming that O'Neill chose a planet that meets the criteria that he generally espouses. The Vandi undoubtedly influenced his choices."

Daniel sighed again, "Yeah," he agreed reluctantly, because Scientific Systematic Objectivity meant that there were no shortcuts to figuring out where their two missing teammates were.

- - - - - - -

Late the next afternoon, the Asgard checked in with the SGC. Thor 'called' every three days to ascertain the status in the Tauri search for O'Neill and Carter. All Asgard ships had been notified to keep an eye out for the missing Tauri and Thor regularly informed the SGC of which planets had been recently visited by any Asgard.

Daniel studied the present list. The list was long. It would take months to search all of the planets listed now that only SG-4 and SG-7 were still tasked to continue the search. SG-9 was currently on a mission to some jungle-type planet which had both an intelligent indigenous people as well as a large diversity of alien wildlife.

"Jack...Sam...," the archeologist muttered to the emptiness in his office, "Where the hell are you two?"

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	16. Coming In Hot

"_Jack...Sam...," the archeologist muttered to the emptiness in his office, "Where the hell are you two?"_

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 16: COMING IN HOT**

- - -

_**SGC Briefing Room**_

"P8X-331 is one of the planets from the list of 'Gate addresses that Jack entered into the computer before the Asgard removed the Ancient library download from his brain," Daniel began the latest briefing. "Preliminary MALP results show a breathable atmosphere, standard UV protection, and no dangerous levels of radiation," and he clicked the slides to a grainy digital-still shot from the MALP-camera.

Clicking to the next slide, "Standard chlorophyll-based vegetation... trees, bushes and grasses," as he clicked through a few more shots showing the vegetation. "At the time of this picture it was raining steadily and the local temperature was 47-48 degrees Fahrenheit."

"No immediate signs of hostile alien life... intelligent or otherwise. Some small to medium sized local wildlife, but nothing overtly dangerous," while clicking through a few shots of some rodent like animals. Continuing to summarize the basic information, he worked his way through the rest of his short slide show. "Are there any questions?"

The room was silent for a few moments as no one had any new questions. They had all read the mission brief and Daniel's presentation had basically been a summary review to just ensure that everyone was on the same page.

"Right then," General Hammond addressed the CO of SG-7, Colonel Peterson, "You have 8 hours for the initial survey. After that, you will report in and we will determine if you will need additional time on-planet."

"Understood, sir," Peterson replied to the familiar mission format being applied in the search for O'Neill and Carter.

"If there are no more questions - SG-1, SG-7, you will disembark at 1400. Dismissed," the General concluded.

- - - - - - - -

_**1350**_

The six searchers were adjusting straps and hats and getting ready for departure. Daniel looked up to the glass windows of the control room overlooking the Gateroom. "It's sure good to see a familiar face up there," Daniel muttered.

"Yeah, we were damn lucky that Hammond volunteered to fill in while O'Neill is missing," Peterson responded with feeling. "Hammond is basically wearing two hats by taking care of this place while also handling as much of his Pentagon duties on the phone or by video conference."

"How long do you think they'll let it stay this way?" Daniel asked.

"Not too long. They can't. If we don't find O'Neill and Carter in a few more weeks, Hammond will have to go back to his regular duties and they'll have to assign a new full-time CO for the SGC," Peterson replied knowingly.

"Any idea who it would be?" Daniel continued while the 'Gate began dialing up.

"Haven't heard any rumors yet. I'll let you know if I do," and then turning to the General watching them from above, "Request permission to disembark, sir."

"Permission granted, Colonel. You have a 'Go'. Bring them back, people," and the General's familiar words gave Daniel another small sense of reassurance.

**- - - - - - - - - -**

_**P8X-331**_

Exiting the wormhole into a light drizzle, Daniel and Teal'c followed SG-7 down the steps of the alien 'Gate. Standing next the MALP, Colonel Peterson ordered his team, "Caruthers and Ponce, scout the immediate area. Saunders, keep watch."

A chorus of "Yes sirs" floated back as the Colonel turned his attention to the two men of SG-1. "For the initial recce, let's just look around in this clearing for any signs of O'Neill or Carter. Everyone keeps everyone else in sight for right now, got it?"

"Understood ColonelPeterson," Teal'c responded and Daniel just nodded.

With Major Caruthers and Captain Ponce scouting the edges of the clearing and Lieutenant Saunders standing as lookout on the 'Gate steps, the other three slowly searched the region around the 'Gate for any signs of previous human passage through the area.

Teal'c's experienced eyes scanned his surroundings.

Heavily forested woodland.  
Wet, muddy ground.  
Cold and damp.  
Water draining off of each leaf and blade of grass.  
Everything was soaked from the rain.

A variety of numerous animal prints were clearly visible in the mud.  
Of all shapes and sizes.

Nothing moved now, however.  
Undoubtedly frozen in fear of the noise and disturbance from the 'Gate activation.  
And now, undoubtedly watching them.

Something moved in the trees.

Teal'c swung his staff to bear on where the movement had been.  
He watched carefully, but saw no further movement.

"Colonel?" Major Caruthers' voice sounded over their radios.

"Go ahead," Peterson sent back as he turned around to spot his officers on the other side of the large clearing, behind the 'Gate.

"We've found a well-worn path that leads into the woods."

"Understood. Hold position and watch for any new arrivals. We'll join you after we've searched this side," the Colonel replied.

"Yes sir," Caruthers returned.

- - - - - - - - -

Fifteen minutes later and Daniel, Teal'c and Peterson joined Caruthers and Ponce at the beginning of the trail that led from the clearing behind the 'Gate.

Teal'c studied the ground carefully. Analyzing the array of prints. "Many different types of native wildlife... but I do not see any indication that anyone with SGC-issued footwear has passed this way."

"Allright, we'll follow the path and see if we can find the natives... and hope that they either speak a variation of English, or one of your hundred-or-so languages, Professor," the Colonel smiled good-naturedly at the archeologist and then spoke into his radio, "Saunders, we're going to explore this little path here. You and Ponce will stay and guard the 'Gate – and be ready to dial out if we come in hot!"

"Understood, sir," the young female officer's voice came back over the radio as Ponce nodded to his CO and headed over to join his teammate by the 'Gate.

"Caruthers, you have point. I'll bring up the rear. Allright everyone, let's keep alert," and Peterson waved an arm of invitation at the muddy path into the soggy woods.

- - - - - - -

"So, what do you think of this place?" Captain Ponce asked Lt. Saunders.

"Too wet," she replied with a grimace, and then squeezed the water from the brim of her hat for emphasis.

"Doesn't look like somewhere that I'd choose to go that's for sure," Ponce agreed.

The other four members of their expedition had been gone for a little over an hour. Radio check-ins were every 15 minutes. So far they had yet to meet the native intelligent people. The native wildlife, on the other hand, were starting to move about more and more. The two officers at the 'Gate could see low shadows moving amongst the trees. However, none had ventured out in the clearing...yet.

"How's David doing?" Ponce inquired idly.

"Better... the new tutor seems to be working," the young officer replied, but before she could add anymore, their radios sprang to life-

"Dial that gate up NOW!" Peterson's voice came over the radio with gunfire and concussive blasts in the background.

"Do it!" Ponce ordered the Lieutenant as he moved to cover the SGC personnel as they exited the woods from the path.

A few minutes later and the 'Gate was dialed in and the rippling blue event horizon waited patiently. Saunders had joined Ponce with a supportive defensive position to help cover the approaching men. The sounds of the battle were getting closer. "Gate dialed and ready, sir."

And then they burst into the clearing. Doctor Jackson and Major Caruthers were running to join Ponce and Saunders at the 'Gate while Teal'c and Peterson were retreating backwards while firing at whatever was pursuing them.

"Have them get that iris open, Lieutenant," Ponce ordered as the four at the 'Gate provided cover for the two men coming last.

Not bothering to answer, Saunders set to work and quickly sent the codes that would tell the SGC that they were who they were supposed to be. "Confirmation received, sir," she supplied as she went back to providing cover fire for the retreating men.

Explosions with concussive blasts of rocks and tree shards ripped through the clearing around them. "Mortars?!" Saunders queried as she continued to fire.

"The local handheld equivalent," Caruthers confirmed. "More like a small SAM than a grenade."

"Let's get out of here, people," Peterson yelled as he limped up alongside Teal'c. "Saunders, Ponce, Go!" he ordered the two junior officers through the gate. "Caruthers, Jackson, you're next- we're right behind you, let's go!"

Returning fire as they scrambled up the steps, Caruthers lurched into Daniel as he took a bullet in the thigh. "Damn!" the officer cursed but continued forward as the archeologist grabbed the man's utility vest and helped pull him through the 'Gate. Risking a look back just before entering the wormhole, Daniel saw a large explosion take out the local DHD and a blast wave of heat and dirt and rocks blew Teal'c and Peterson crashing into them as they flew into the wormhole.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	17. Surprise

Author's Notes: There were lots of great guesses and suggestions as to what Sam and Jack saw at the end of Chapter 14. None of them were correct, however (and I did already have this chapter written)! :) I really liked Arizona94's suggestion of a Wal-Mart... that tickled me so much, that I seriously tried to figure out how to work in a reference to it... lol...

Hope you like the surprise...

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 17: SURPRISE**

- - -

_From Chapter 14: He looked up at where she was standing. She too was scanning the area carefully. She glanced back at him and with silent hand signals, let him know that she'd seen something. He pantomimed a query for more information, but she had to shake her head and shrug a bit. While she was carefully scanning the area again, he slowly moved up to where she was standing._

_And then he saw it._

- - -

And then he saw it.

He was stunned.

He turned his head to look at her and she was grinning from ear to ear, extremely pleased with herself. She'd scored.

He turned back to the vista in front of them.

It was a lake. A stunningly beautiful, deep blue lake. He estimated that it was slightly larger than 'his' lake in Minnesota. He wondered if it had any fish. There were fish in the river near their camp... so there were probably fish in this lake.

Standing on their small rise, they had a good view of the entire shoreline. The trees came just about down to the water all the way around.

He turned back to see that her blinding grin had settled down to a smaller smug smile. Smug. And he realized that she had somehow known that this lake was here. She must have seen it the other afternoon when they were on the ridgetop and she'd hadn't pointed it out so that she could surprise him with it. No wonder she'd argued that they explore downriver before heading up the other ridgeline... he might have seen the lake from the other ridge...

Smug. OK, she'd earned it, he admitted, and then noticed that she was holding the binoculars out to him. Not saying a word, he just gave her a thankful grin and began scrutinizing the details of the shoreline through the binoculars.

- - - -

Two hours later and they'd walked half-way around the lake to a small sandy beach that they'd seen from the upstream side. Just a short way further along the shoreline was the lake's gentle outlet as the water once more followed the river's course downvalley. Setting up camp for the night on the patch of sand, they decided to opt for a campfire and the warm food that went along with that.

Later, after the evening's tasks had been taken care of, they sat on the same side of the fire, looking out across the lake.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"Hmm?" she came out of her musings.

"Thanks... for this," and he gestured at the lake.

"Oh," and she gave him a shy smile and looked back over the water. "You're welcome."

"How did you see this from the ridgeline?" He asked. "I scoured the area with binoculars and didn't see a lake anywhere."

The smile returned a bit, "I didn't see it from the ridgeline either," she admitted.

"But you knew it was here!," he exclaimed. "I'd swear that you were not surprised to find it!"

Her smile grew a little larger. "Yeah, I did know it was here," she answered incompletely... drawing out the fun.

"Argh!" he gave a low growl but the campfire gave her enough light so that she could see the smile twinkling in his eyes. "So, _how_ did you know it was here?" he stressed the words carefully.

"Are you sure that you really want to know?" and her words from earlier floated into his mind. Her words, her smile... and that clickety, clickety, click...

"Your laptop...?" he ventured and she nodded but didn't supply anything else. Waiting. Forcing him to ask. To ask her to explain. To give the invitation for some technobabble. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Sa-a-m...?" he asked but left it open... not quite ready to give permission for the scientific explanation.

And the smile broke out full force again as she chuckled at his frustration. Giving in, however, she pulled her laptop out of her pack. He hadn't even known that she'd brought it, and idly wondered what else was in her pack. Impatiently he waited while the machine slowly booted (ok, ok, so it only took a little over two minutes, he begrudged). She silently watched him and he could see the bemusement in her eyes as she was fully aware of his barely restrained impatience.

Once it was booted, she immediately turned her focus on the screen and her hands flew across the keyboard again. Clickety, clickety, clickety, clickety... How was she so adept with that infernal internal touch-sensitive mousepad?...he thought querulously. He hated them. He liked the mouse with his home computer. Easy to use, tactile, it fit nicely in his hand and the cursor moved just where he expected it to on the screen. Unlike that 'supposed' mouse control on the laptop. He felt like such a klutz when he used it.

He noticed the silence and pulled his gaze from the horizon of the opposite shore of the lake. She had turned the laptop so that he could see the screen. Focusing on the screen, he saw an almost full-screen photo that she had taken from the ridgeline. When he glanced up to meet her expectant gaze, she explained, "I downloaded the photos and you can use this slide-viewer program to view the entire 360-degree panorama sequentially."

OK, he was impressed... And cool technological thingies weren't something that _he_ would normally get too excited about... "Very nice," he offered.

Seeing his quizzical look, she rolled her eyes while fussing with the program controls. Watching the screen while she panned over the digitized view, he recognized the features and ridgelines from their previous excursion. And then she stopped panning across and began zooming in on one portion. He scooted a little closer to her side so that he could get the proper angle on the LCD display.

And there it was. He could just make out the far portion of the lake through the trees. "Sharp eyes, Sam," he praised and got that small smug smile in reply. Well, he decided that she'd earned the right to be smug. She'd presented him with A Lake, after all. And she had refrained from the technobabble explanation of how that photo software worked..., so... he'd definitely let her be smug. She'd scored!

- - - - -

The next morning, they searched a little farther downstream before calling an end to this outing. They didn't find any intelligent life or anyone who could help fix the stargate or any way off of the planet... but Jack still considered this exploration a success. They had a lake!

Sam carefully marked the lake on their map, working from what they could presently see and from the photo records on her laptop. In the meantime, Jack walked a little further along the edges of the lake, searching for signs of fish. He didn't see any, but that didn't mean they weren't there. He smiled to himself. They'd just have to come back.

And, anyways... even if there weren't any fish, there was still the lake.

So, they'd just have to come back.

Stopping to study the updated map, he critiqued her charting of the lake's shape, size and location... comparing with his own visual cues and assessments. And then he noticed that just off to the side, she'd neatly inked 'Jack's Lake.'

Looking up he caught her watching for his reaction and she shrugged with a questioning look on her face. "It just seemed appropriate," she offered.

"I think it's perfect," he gave her a smile from his heart to say thanks. "But now, you know, we have to name something after you..."

She looked uncomfortable with that but then relented, "As long as we both agree...," she reminded him with a small smile. He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment and then conceded (for now) with a small nod.

As they packed up and then headed back towards their main campsite in the clearing near the 'Gate, he wondered to himself...

She gave me a lake!

How do I pay that back?

- - -

* * *

- - -

TBC

- - -

_Still building the ship..._ :)


	18. Kamgree

_As they packed up and then headed back towards their main campsite in the clearing near the 'Gate, he wondered to himself..._

_She gave me a lake!_

_How do I pay that back?_

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 18: KAMGREE**

- - -

He thought about it all of the way home and couldn't decide on anything appropriate. And once they reached their shelter, the rest of the daylight hours were busy as they they'd cleaned up, checked the 'Gate alarm, and the area around the 'Gate, and then rebuilt the fire and prepared dinner.

The simple meal was over again and he found his thoughts wandering back to what he could do or give her to show his thanks for what she'd known he'd appreciate and enjoy. Unfortunately, most of the things that he could think of were not available here... She loved riding her motorcycle, but they didn't have anything to build one with here. She loved flying planes... and that was as far out of reach as a motorcycle. She liked... playing with doohickeys... and they were on a planet that was decidedly doohickey-less!

He glanced over at her and she was tapping away intently on one of the laptops.

That familiar pang of guilt stabbed at him as he realized yet again that he'd stranded them on a planet that was much more along the lines of _his _idea of a fantasy than hers. If she'd been asked what planet she'd like to leave Earth for, she'd have probably chosen an inhabited world where the native people had a fairly advanced level of technology. Then, if they didn't have motorcycles, she could just show them how to build one.

Deciding to incite a little conversation, "So... Sam..," and he waited for her to stop typing and look up. "If you'd had a choice of planets to be stranded on with a non-working DHD... would you have chosen some place like that Fithial planet?" he asked.

She smiled and rolled her eyes, "Phyithilia," she corrected the name of the planet automatically.

"Yeah, that one," he agreed. "So would you have been happier stranded somewhere like that?"

"Have I been acting unhappy?" she asked with a surprised tone.

"Well, no, not really," he admitted and she now just looked puzzled. "But, there aren't a lot of doohickeys here, just a couple laptops and the alarm systems... and a trashed DHD," and he winced as he spoke those words. She looked down at her laptop and hit a few keys and then he heard the familiar sounds of the shut-down sequence. She then snapped the laptop closed and turned her attention back to him.

"Jack, I don't blame you fo-," she started but he quickly interjected,

"Yes, but you can't tell me that you wouldn't have been happier if we were somewhere more technologically advanced... at least with an indigenous people who were at least into the Bronze Age!"

"Actually, that would probably be terrible," she responded and seeing his surprise she elaborated, "A culture at or around the Bronze Age, if it was anything like Earth at that time, then they would probably see women as property and slaves and whores. So, I'll take a planet like ours here any day to one with a typical Bronze Age culture."

He heard her words and agreed with her statement, but when she'd said 'a planet like ours here', his brain had highlighted those words. The both of them were already starting to settle into their life here. And she hadn't even had a chance yet to see if she could jury-rig anything with the damaged DHD. The fact that she hadn't pushed very hard for them to take a least one full day to give it a once over... that told him a lot about her initial assessment of the damage.

"Yeah, you're right. We have visited a lot of planets that haven't figured out the whole equality issue yet," he agreed. Continuing on his original thread, "But what about Fythilia?" "Phyithilia," she automatically corrected with that small amused smile... just one of his goals. "Right, Flithlia," and he almost tied his tongue in a knot," but succeeded in making her chuckle. "I know that you enjoyed your SG-1 mission there six months ago – and don't even bother denying it!"

She'd opened her mouth to speak, but then thought better of what she was going to say and decided to say nothing at this moment.

"I almost popped both main arteries to my brain, you know, when I found out what you were doing," he accused her with both eyebrows raised and she grimaced at bit.

"The Phyithilia spacecraft are very advanced, sir. And it was so unusual for an advanced culture to be willing to share... that I just... well... I figured that we should take advantage of their largess," and he noted that in her search for words she hadn't even noticed that the dreaded 'sir' had slipped out.

"Yeah, but Car-," but she caught that, "Sam," he corrected and quickly continued, "You flew through an asteroid belt at just below hyperspeed and then you flew through their sun...," and she hadn't known he was watching her flight from the Phyithilian command center. Of course, _he_ hadn't known that he was going to be watching her flight either. He hadn't known that she was even flying.

_**- - - - - Flashback - - - - -**_

No... when Daniel and Teal'c had relayed back such positive initial findings from their latest planetary exploration – and they'd asked for an extension on their original mission length... he'd granted the extension and then decided to join his old team for a few days. Get out in the field. Stretch the legs. Meet an advanced society that was friendly for a change.

When he'd arrived at the 'Gate, some Phyithilian flunkees had run ahead to tell his team of his presence. Meeting him halfway to their main city, Daniel and Teal'c had informed him that Sam would not be joining them until later that afternoon as she was already committed to a day of touring the local spacecraft technology.

At the local High Minister's office they had been received with all of the respect due a high-level representative from another planet. After some initial pleasantries (of which Jack was learning to get good at), they had chatted for awhile about some of their planetary goals, how they used their Stargate, whether or not they knew of the Goa'uld (they did), what they thought of the Goa'uld (they hated them), etc.

After a very nice lunch of strange-looking, but tasteful food (Jack followed Daniel and Teal'c's suggestions), the High Minister offered a tour of their space command facilities. Jack, of course, jumped at the offer and was surprised when both Daniel and Teal'c immediately began offering alternatives. Both of them should have known better, however, because no ancient temple or ruins would ever take top billing with Jack O'Neill when there were spacecraft to be seen!

So there they'd been. In the Phyithilian Space Command Center. The High Minister had asked the head of the facility to lead their tour... he couldn't remember the woman's name. Yep, they had a woman as the head of their Space Command Center. Probably another reason that Carter had seemed fit in with the Phyithilians so quickly. Not remembering her name, he just decided to call her the Commander (at least in his head).

Errr... so where was he... oh, yeah, So there they'd been. Checking out the Space Command Center. Watching the arrival and take-off of the numerous ships. Listening to the chatter between the ground controllers and the pilots. And then he'd heard:

"Colonel Carter, if you would honor me with a little Kamgree?" came an unknown voice over the speaker. Jack was staring at Daniel and Teal'c for answers. Daniel managed to look a little embarrassed and gave him a barely noticeable shrug.

"Well, first you have to tell me what it is," her voice came over the speaker next.

"Kamgree is... when I fly and you follow... and I will try to make the flight path both interesting and challenging," the unknown pilot answered.

"Oh... KAMgree," and she said it like she'd just forgotten what the word was, "I was afraid that you'd said Kimtree... and that is not something we should be doing up here," she responded chuckling. Jack just looked dumbfounded. What was Kimtree? He looked at Daniel for an explanation and received a two-shouldered shrug in response. He'd never heard of Kimtree either. Jack looked over at Teal'c and the Jaffa simply cocked his head a little at O'Neill's unspoken question.

She was speaking again, "Kamgree it is then! I'm game. I'll Kam your Gree," she sent.

And now Jack moved over to Daniel and whispered, "Is she drunk?"

"She wasn't when she left," he whispered back. "But we haven't seen her since early this morning," he appended.

And apparently the owner of the unknown voice was puzzled too, "I am sorry, Colonel Carter, I did not understand your last statement."

"Sorry," she sent back, "Let's go ahead and Kamgree – I'll just follow your lead."

And off they'd gone. Jetting across and around the Phyithilian solar system and beyond. The three men of SG-1 silently watched the visual displays which tracked the ships' paths around the known planetary bodies and obstacles in their charted space.

"Your Colonel Carter is a most accomplished pilot, General O'Neill," the Commander of the Space Center complimented. "This morning she flew as Major Frathilin's copilot. I was most surprised when he proclaimed that your Colonel Carter had become proficient enough to handle a ship on her own so quickly."

"Yes, yes she is an excellent pilot," he responded politely and then continued to wait and worry although Carter apparently handled the alien craft with dexterity and ease. Carter was now Greeing while Major Frathilian was Kamming, and he winced internally at the ease with which he followed and applied Carter's earlier play on their language. He hoped that he didn't say it out loud.

After their little game of Follow the Leader, Jack figured that they'd return to base. But he was wrong. Carter wanted to test some of the limits of the ship. He wanted to wring her neck. Of course he realized, she had been in charge of this mission and it was her prerogative to decide when things were too dangerous, but he still wanted to get her out of that alien ship and back on the ground as soon as possible. He knew that he'd feel a lot more comfortable with their alien technology once _he'd_ had a chance to fly in one of their ships and handle the controls himself. Like Carter had. And was. And was apparently feeling pretty comfortable with.

So, now Carter and this Major Frathie-guy, were testing the turn radius, how fast the plane accelerated and decelerated, then they were jinking and juking around asteroids... and they were now talking about flying through the sun's corona! No, no... they weren't talking about that anymore... they were doing it! He closed his eyes for a moment at the frustration of not being able to do anything but stand and watch the displays. A few moments of silence passed and there was no communication from either Carter's ship or the Major's.

"Woohoo!" her jubilant voice leaped out of the speaker. "That was fantastic!" And then she was off a mile-a-minute technobabbling about what they'd just done.

When the 'air-chatter' between the two pilots finally died down a bit, he realized that they were now heading back to the base. He debated about asking for permission to say 'Hi and hurry home," or some such, but the sheer euphoria and delight in her voice stilled his hand... he hadn't heard her that excited and charged up since the first year or so of Gate travel.

**_- - - - - End Flashback - - - - -_**

"We weren't anywhere close to hyperspeed in the asteroid belt, sir. Major Frathilian was extremely considerate and careful. And we only flew through the sun's corona – and that's nothing new... we did it with my Dad in that Goa'uld mothership after we were blown across the universe when we exploded Vorash's sun...," she pointed out. He noticed the 'sir' again. It was so easy for them to fall back into their habits.

He gazed into her eyes, remembering the jubilation that he'd heard in her voice after she'd come out of the sun. She was looking at him quizzically, now. "I...uh... I just don't remember hearing you so happy in a long time," he admitted softly.

Embarrassed a bit at the attention on her emotional display, she blushed a little, "I found the Phyithilian flight controls to be so intuitive that I got a bit carried away," she confessed.

"Sam, you were having fun, and that's OK," he chided her with bemusement. "Now, if you'd gone and gotten yourself killed, then the whole fly-the-alien-ship-around-the-galaxy-thing would have been colossally stupid," he kidded her and she looked down at the ground.

"So... you like naquadah reactors, blowing up sun's, flying alien ships semi-hazardously and riding motorcycles... which brings me back to my original question," he summarized, "Would you have been happier stranded on a planet such as Phyithilian?"

"That's not a fair question, Jack," she said as she stood up from the fire, "Each planet has its own plusses and minuses," she finished cryptically as she headed off to get their sleeping bags out for their nightly stargazing session.

- - -

* * *

- - -__

_TBC_

- - -


	19. Technobabble

"_So... you like naquadah reactors, blowing up sun's, flying alien ships semi-hazardously and riding motorcycles... which brings me back to my original question," he summarized, "Would you have been happier stranded on a planet such as Phyithilian?"_

"_That's not a fair question, Jack," she said as she stood up from the fire, "Each planet has its own plusses and minuses," she finished cryptically as she headed off to get their sleeping bags out for their nightly stargazing session._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 19: TECHNOBABBLE**

- - -

He sat in front of the fire for a few more moments before heading over to join her. Musing over his memories of Phyithilia... mixed with the images of that lake just down the valley... and images of her typing away on her computer that early morning... and showing him the digital image panorama when they'd reached the lake. And then images of her typing away again this evening, just before their discussion about Phyithilia.

And then it hit him. The answer was blindingly obvious.

Her words echoed in his head. "Are you sure that you really want to know?"

Technobabble.  
The answer was technobabble.

She was trapped here thousands of light-years away from her life, her family and friends. Trapped here away from almost everything that had defined Sam Carter. The military. Technology. Motorcycles. Planes. Doohickeys.

But her mind was still revving along.  
Clickety, clickety, clickety...  
...the sounds of the keys echoed silently in his mind.  
She was still thinking.  
She'd never stop.

But as things stood right now, she had no one to talk to... or at least no one who would listen. He'd always set a frame of reference where he made it clear that he didn't want to hear it. That he'd simply trust her conclusions. But there's always been others she could talk with... chatting excitedly about the wonders of the universe and how it worked.

So, he couldn't give her a motorcycle or a plane or even a bunch of cool alien doohickeys to play with... but he _could_ listen. He could at least do that.

With his mind made up, he got up from the fire and went over to join her for their nightly stargazing.

- - - - - - - -

"Hey," he said softly as he crawled into his sleeping bag beside hers.

"Hey," she returned softly, her eyes not leaving her scan of the heavens.

"Find any new ones?" he asked.

"Not any good ones," she responded.

"Well then, you have to tell me the bad ones," he prodded hopefully.

Her eyes slid sideways at him and she shook her head negatively and then returned her gaze to the sky. "No way, you'll laugh."

"No, I won't. Honest Injun," he tried for an innocent voice, but she was looking at him suspiciously. "C'mon, Sam, spill – or I'll just pester you about it all night," he mock-threatened.

She sighed. "Fine. All I've picked out tonight are some groupings that I think look like... a little fluffy sheep and another looks a rubber ducky...," she stopped indignantly at the sounds of snorting coming from next to her. She narrowed her eyes and realized that that was fairly ineffectual when the target had ducked into his sleeping bag. "Jack! You said you wouldn't laugh," she tried a threatening tone, but it was hard to threaten a snorting, shaking sleeping bag.

"Big Bad Intergalactic Spaceship Pilot sees Giant Rubber Ducky and Cute Fluffy Sheep," he mocked a news headline from still under the covers of his bag. It was a testament to their changing relationship that they could be a little silly with each other. If only for a few moments. If only here at night under the stars. But the day's main work was done, and they could try and relax and let go of their responsibilities and professional decorum. They could enjoy a bit of light-heartedness.

"I think I will name the Rubber Ducky constellation O'Neill," she declared in a serious tone that sounded suspiciously like she was channeling Teal'c.

The sleeping bag's shaking motion stilled, "You can't do that, we have to agree on the names and I will never agree to letting you name a rubber ducky after me," came the disembodied voice.

"Yeah, well... I'm the one entering the data into the computer... so I may just have to make a few judgment calls of my own," she returned lightly.

"You wouldn't," he challenged.

"You laughed," she returned archly.

Slowly his head peeked out of the top of his bag. "Pax?"

She looked sideways at him and then back up at the stars. A few moments of silence passed as she made him wait. "Pax," she finally agreed.

"So, where is this Rubber Ducky, anyway?"

"Jack...," the threatening tone was back.

"OK, then how about the Big Fluffy Sheep?" and he sounded like he was trying to hold the giggles down.

"No giggling, Jack," she admonished.

"That's my line," he protested. "And besides, I wasn't giggling. That was chuckling."

"Sure, Jack," with the tone of long-sufferance that women used with men whenever they acted like he was.

- - - - - - - -

He let a half-hour or so pass before trying out his new idea. They were still stargazing and they hadn't named any new constellations tonight. The night was mostly quiet with a little idle chatter between the two of them.

"So, Sam, I was wondering... how the heck do you know the direction to Earth from here?" he kept his tone conversational.

But she didn't fall for it. She just looked over at him to make sure that he hadn't morphed into someone else. "Jack?" she asked.

"How do you know how far we are from Earth... and which direction it is from here?" he asked again and tried to look very interested.

She narrowed her eyes at him and looked at him suspiciously. "It's just a lot of math and physics," she replied.

"Like what?" he prodded.

"Jack, are you _asking_ for the explanation? The technobabble?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I guess I am," he tried to sound nonchalant.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"Why?" he repeated back.

"Yes, why?" and in her tone he could _hear_ her eyes rolling.

"I just... Look, we're most probably going to be here a long time... and well, I figure I should expand my horizons a little. You're kinda like my own personal electronic PDA encyclopedia," Whoops, too far there. Or maybe not, she actually seemed to relax when he came out as his old derisive self.

She studied him for a moment or two longer. Trying to assess his motivations. Apparently giving up on figuring him out, however, she reflexively fell back on her training and responded to the request of her superior officer... even one who was apparently a little off in the head.

And for the next 20 minutes, she explained the geometry of their location with Earth, the new Alpha Site, and several other new worlds. She explained how the SGC numbering system helped her identify which part of the galaxy each planet is located in. She tried to describe how she visualized the 3-D map in her head. How she was able to mentally turn the 3-D map around in order to be able to visualize how it would look from a different angle.

And that was the part that he found the most interesting. The math and physics didn't intrigue him, but when she tried to describe how her mind worked – that he found riveting. She on the other hand, found it a bit uncomfortable, and retreated back into the math and the physics explanations as quickly as she could.

And so it went.

He had found his gift to her.  
He would let her share her thoughts with him... her technobabble.

And then he realized something exceedingly important.

She lit up as she progressed through her explanation.  
She needed this release desperately.  
Intellectually, that mind that was Sam Carter needed this stimulation and outlet.

He wondered what would have happened to their relationship if he'd continued to stifle and deny her the opportunity to talk about these things with the only other person on this planet. Himself.

"Jack?" Uh oh.

"Yeah?"

"You don't want to hear any more do you?" she asked knowingly and with a hint of amusement.

"Actually, I do," and she looked astonished. "Just not tonight," he qualified. "I think my brain is full," he went for the humor and was rewarded with a smile.

"Ri-i-ight," she responded with obvious doubt and he smiled in the dark.

It was going to take awhile to convince her that he was serious.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

**Author's Note: **Portions of the end of this chapter follow the theme of the wonderful short fanfic "Night Sky" by Joolz, which can be found at **www**_dot_**geocities**_dot_**com/joolz4me/NightSky.htm **(just replace the _dot_s with periods)


	20. Pater Noster Lakes

- - -

_From Chapter 16: Risking a look back just before entering the wormhole, Daniel saw a large explosion take out the local DHD and a wave of heat and dirt and rocks blew Teal'c and Peterson crashing into them as they fell into the wormhole._

- - -

**Ch 20: PATER NOSTER LAKES**

- - -

The concussive force of the blast ejected the four men from the wormhole and sent them tumbling down the ramp amidst a driving spray of rocks and dirt.

"CLOSE THE IRIS," both Peterson and Saunders yelled from the tangle of arms, legs and torn BDUs at the bottom of the steel ramp.

With a ka-a-shunk, the iris spiraled shut and the Gateroom was suddenly silent.

But only for a moment. And then they were pounced on by the waiting medical personnel. Doctors and medics took over as injuries were sorted and prioritized. Major Caruthers' injury was the worst – he had taken a projectile wound in the leg and was bleeding profusely. Once the Major was quickly swept off on a gurney, Colonel Peterson and Teal'c were scrutinized.

Waving the attention off, Peterson turned to the General, "Not friendly, sir," he understated.

"And no signs of General O'Neill or Colonel Carter?" Hammond had to ask for confirmation.

"No sir, no signs of anyone from Earth... just the natives... and they weren't up for conversation!" The military officer responded.

Daniel stood up awkwardly and winced, he was pretty sure that his ankle was just twisted and not broken. "General, the natives apparently see anyone who comes through the 'Gate as mortal enemies – no exceptions. I was able to make a preliminary assessment of their language, but we didn't get a large enough sample for me to get very far," the archeologist supplied.

"Yeah, they started yelling, chasing and generally trying to kill us any old way that they could think of," the Colonel provided acerbically and Daniel couldn't deny the assessment.

"Do you think that we should write off the MALP?" the General asked.

"Oh, yeah," Daniel responded. "I saw their DHD explode in the blast that slammed us through the wormhole. Which means that anyone else who 'Gates to that planet is going to be pretty unhappy," he explained.

"General, I know that we'll go over all this again in the debrief, but I recommend that

P8X-331 be locked out of the SGC general dialing list... with an appended note regarding the hostility of the natives," Peterson spoke firmly.

"Understood," Hammond replied with a sigh. "Colonel, take your team to the infirmary and then get some showers and clean clothes. Debriefing in 3 hours."

"Yes sir," and the Colonel finally allowed the medics to take over.

Hammond watched with resignation as the Gateroom slowly cleared. Another MALP lost. Three offworld teammembers injured. And no sign of O'Neill and Carter. He wondered how much longer they would be allowed to continue to search for the missing officers. SG-7 would now be out of the rotation for at least a few weeks, and even when they came back, he would have to find a temporary replacement for Major Caruthers.

From the looks of things, the only search team still operational was now SG-4. Doctor Jackson's and Teal'c's injuries looked fairly minor and he suspected that the two men would be requesting to resume assisting with the search in a few days to a week at most. He decided to make an announcement that qualified and healthy personnel could volunteer for search missions when on downtime between regular missions. If SG-4 stayed healthy, and they could get a couple of volunteers to join Jackson and Teal'c, then there'd still be at least 2 teams carrying on the search.

Turning to look at the now quiet Stargate, he wondered again where O'Neill and Carter were... and what was preventing them from returning on their own.

- - - - - - - - -

- - -

_**P9X-198**_

Teal'c led SG-1 through the event horizon and scanned the area with all senses alert. Protective of the comrades in his charge.

Daniel was only scant seconds behind the Jaffa. The archeologist exited with his weapon ready and a cautious air as he joined Teal'c for their first assessment of the area around the alien 'Gate.

The two men were quickly joined by the other two members of their team today; Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey of SG-3 and Dr. 'Dragon' Rider of SG-9. Hailey was immediately on alert with her weapon ready, while the civilian Dr. Rider was already scanning and visually evaluating the native vegetation.

- - -

A beautiful lake extended out in front of them.... the sharp sawtooth aretes and glacial horns created a breathtaking backdrop for the crystal clear waters.

More correctly called a glacial tarn, the lake was nestled at the river's headwaters in an abandoned glacial cirque (a depression carved out by a glacier). The cirque was an artifact of much colder times in this planet's past; today, the only snow or ice visible was in the crevices of the razor-sharp ridges.

- - -

Moving out and away from the 'Gate, the four teammates began scanning for evidence of the two missing officers - while staying alert for any hostile native life or threats.

A quick reconnaissance of the area immediately around the 'Gate revealed no indication of either General O'Neill or Colonel Carter.

Something they were all, unfortunately, getting used to.

- - - - -

"I don't see signs of anything human, Teal'c," Daniel admitted dejectedly.

"Neither do I, DanielJackson," the Jaffa returned and then added, "However, the ground in this area is extremely rocky and hard, and the trees and vegetation appear more habitable further down the valley."

"I agree," Doctor Rider chimed in. "If I was going to stay on this planet, I'd head downstream a-ways to where the vegetation is thicker, the temperature is undoubtedly a little warmer, and the ground a little softer."

Daniel couldn't help but grin a bit at her priorities. As with today's mission, the zoologist had volunteered several times to join SG-1 when SG-9 was on downtime; consequently, the archeologist was enjoying the pleasure of her continued company as they persisted in their search for Jack and Sam.

As they walked and searched the alien worlds, they shared tales of their various experiences with alien languages and cultures. They commiserated about their struggles with military viewpoints and objectives vs. those of science and discovery. And in the telling of the stories, Daniel couldn't help but reflect on the various valorous actions of his two missing teammates. Dr. Rider reciprocated with tales of the actions and antics of her own SG-9 teammates.

Teal'c generally just listened quietly while constantly scanning, watching and protecting those he was now responsible for.

When Jennifer Hailey had volunteered to join them on her downtime last week, Dragon had found an immediate kinship with the outspoken and feisty young officer. The two women promptly agreed that one certain General was probably in for a little ass-kicking when this was all over... if it hadn't happened all-ready.

Daniel and Teal'c, on the other hand, had watched the ever-changing relationship between the two military officers of SG-1 for years... and they figured that nothing between Jack O'Neill and Sam Carter would ever be so simple as a little ass-kicking. The two officers had an 8-year history of _not_ clearing the air... an 8-year history of comments and looks that could be interpreted in so many ways... but never definitively one way or the other. They said so much with so little... and still left so much unsaid.

Pulling himself out of his musings, he looked over to where the two women were animatedly discussing the attitudes in the military towards female officers and scientists. 'Whoowhee!' the archeologist thought silently with an internal smile... 'these two women were a quite combination...'

- - - - - -

Standing on a small rise, Teal'c surveyed the area downvalley with binoculars. Searching for anything artificial... any signs of intelligent life or habitation. Watching for any signs of movement... and signs of something like... smoke from a campfire.

But there was nothing.

This was another of the planets that they were searching that had not revealed any signs of present habitation by an intelligent species anywhere in the vicinity of the 'Gate.

Neither Daniel or Teal'c had been to P9X-198 before, but Jack and Sam had accompanied SG-5 six years ago on an exploratory reconnaissance of one of the addresses that Jack had entered into the computer from his first download of information of the Ancients (_Episode 215 'The Fifth Race')._ At the same time that Jack and Sam had been here, Daniel had been attending a conference and Teal'c had been visiting Ry'ac.

The archeologist and the Jaffa now assessed the planet before them and its viability for the location of their missing teammates. "Jack would love the lakes," Daniel commented.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied as they scanned the lake-studded vista below them.

The scene was absolutely stunning.

Five good-sized clear-blue lakes were visible from their current position. End-to-end, the lakes stepped down the course of the valley. Termed 'pater noster lakes' by alpine geologists, the glacial lakes resembled jewels strung together by the river between them.

But nothing moved.  
There was no sign of the smoke of a campfire.  
No signs that humans had traveled through here recently.  
No signs of habitation in the valley below them.

Daniel and Hailey scrutinized the lake shorelines through binoculars, while Teal'c and Rider scouted the more immediate vicinity more closely.

Nothing.

- - -

After 4 more hours of searching for any evidence of human activity, they admitted defeat and checked P9X-198 off of the search list. Stopping just before the 'Gate steps, Daniel paused to take a look back.

"It's a spectacular view," the zoologist commented as she paused beside the archeologist.

"How does it rank compared to the tropical waters of PX3-071?" he asked with a grin.

"Well, they are about equal on the beauty-scale, but I tend to go for the warmer climates a bit more myself," the zoologist admitted. "Warmer climates tend to have a larger abundance and variety of life... and, well, I just personally hate to be cold," and she allowed her femininity its existence.

"I believe that ColonelCarter would share your opinion of the climate," Teal'c spoke up unexpectedly from behind the tarrying scientists.

"Although she'd never admit it so easily," Daniel pointed out affectionately.

"Indeed," the Jaffa returned knowingly.

"What do you think, Jennifer?" Daniel invited the young Lieutenant into their conversation.

The slim young officer looked up at him openly. "I'll grant you that this place is beautiful, but what would Colonel Carter do here? She's an astrophysicist and a specialist in alien technologies... and I just can't visualize her spending her days camping and fishing."

"SamanthaCarter has spent many days camping as a member of SG-1," the Jaffa reminded the Lieutenant.

"For fun?" Hailey persisted, and the young physicist's tone revealed her opinion of how she would have felt if _she_ had been the one trapped on a planet such as this one.

Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other and considered the question. "I know that she had fun at least _some_ of the time," he offered with a smile of fond memories. "What do you think Teal'c?"

"If a smile and a pleasant expression are to be used as indicators, then SamanthaCarter did indeed have fun on many occasions when SG-1 was offworld," and they all stared at the Jaffa as they worked their way through his serious assessment of 'fun'.

Hailey took one last, long look at the impassive Jaffa, and then let her glance fall across the amused face of the archeologist before taking one more scan of the alpine lakes nestled in the valley below. Deciding to say nothing more, she shook her head slightly with look of wonder before waving at the others, "See you back home," as she stepped through the wormhole.

"She's a highly intelligent young woman," Dragon commented as they watched the ripples quiet down on the event horizon. "I am surprised, however, that she managed to stay in the military with her obvious penchant for speaking her mind."

"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "There's a story behind that if you're up for coffee when we get back," he offered - even though he only had second-hand information, as he'd been offworld with SG-11 when the then-Cadet Hailey had her first off-world expedition with Jack, Sam and Teal'c at the research station on N4C-862 (_Episode 419, 'Prodigy'_).

The zoologist gave him a small smile as she turned to follow the Lieutenant, "It's a date, Doctor Jackson," drifted over her shoulder as she stepped through the shiny metallic surface.

Daniel turned back to Teal'c. "Well, that's another planet with no sign of Jack or Sam," and he let his comrade hear his sadness.

"Unfortunately," the Jaffa returned stoically.

"So _why not_ here?" Daniel was still trying to figure out Jack's logic for whichever planet he had chosen. "There are beautiful lakes... no pesky Goa'uld or other evil supervillians around. Except for the trees, this looks like Jack O'Neill Heaven!"

"I do not know what criteria O'Neill used in making his choice. I am sure that when we do discover where O'Neill and Carter are, then we shall perceive the logic of his choice," Teal'c offered his almost Buddha-like philosophy.

Daniel sighed. "I wish I could take it all as calmly as you do, Teal'c."

"Many times, I have offered to instruct you in the continued practice of Kel-nor-reem, DanielJackson," the Jaffa reminded his friend.

Daniel just nodded and gave him a small smile before sending a last look over the panorama before them. "Let's go home, Teal'c," and he turned and stepped through the wormhole with the Jaffa right behind him.

- - - - - - -

_TBC_

- - - - - - -

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Please visit some of the websites listed below if you want to see what I was envisioning for the scenery on P9X-198.

For Pater Noster Lakes (the view downvalley),the lakes would look something like in the photos at the websites listed below (and remember to replace the **_dot_**s with periods before entering the URLs)  
- - - community**_dot_**webshots**_dot_**com/photo/15264670/15266103ryWqZygnsZ  
- - - www**_dot_**csus**_dot_**edu/indiv/s/slaymaker/Archives/Geol10L/paternoster.jpg  
- - - www**_dot_**webshots**_dot_**com/g/32/679-sh/31868.html  
- - - www**_dot_**webshots**_dot_**com/g/33/620-sh/38339.html

If you'd like to see what a glacial tarn looks like, go to (but replace the **_dot_**s with periods before entering the URLs)  
- - - www**_dot_**webshots**_dot_**com/g/33/620-sh/48841.html  
- - - www**_dot_**webshots**_dot_**com/g/33/620-sh/32764.html

- - -

**As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
****www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm **(just replace the _dot_s with periods)  
_Episode 215 "The Fifth Race", Transcript by AQ  
__Episode 419 "Prodigy", Transcript by AQ_

**And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at SciFi**_dot_**com's Stargate SG-1 website**

- - -


	21. Warmth

_He had found his gift to her. He would let her share her thoughts with him... her technobabble. And then he realized something exceedingly important. She lit up as she progressed through her explanation. She needed this release desperately. Intellectually, that mind that was Sam Carter needed this stimulation and outlet._

"_Jack?" Uh oh._

"_Yeah?"_

"_You don't want to hear any more do you?" she asked knowingly and with a hint of amusement._

"_Actually, I do," and she looked astonished. "Just not tonight," he qualified. "I think my brain is full," he went for the humor and was rewarded with a smile._

"_Ri-i-ight," she responded with obvious doubt and he smiled in the dark. _

_It was going to take awhile to convince her that he was serious._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 21: WARMTH**

- - -

The second ridgeline, the one on the other side of the valley, was lower in elevation, but a much longer distance from their camp. Their camp and the 'Gate, were nestled on the north side of the valley floor. Consequently, they took full advantage of this planet's longer days for their third excursion.

Departing just after daybreak, they didn't reach the foot of the far-ridgeline until after 8 hours of almost non-stop hiking. They stopped for a 30-minute break for lunch, some photo documentation and some work on their developing map. After another 9 hours of steady uphill trekking, they finally broached the ridgeline.

The highest point was still another hour's walk along the ridgeline. With the diminishing light of dusk, they decided to pitch camp on an almost flat area just below the top. They would walk to the highpoint tomorrow morning.

Camp was another spartan bivouac, but a fire was deemed worthwhile for the warmth of hot drinks and hot food. Both officers were tired and camp tasks were mostly carried out in silence. Jack cooked dinner as Sam set out the bedrolls.

"Come and get it," he wearily chimed as he dished up the food.

No answer.

He glanced over at the bedrolls. Their packs obscured his view of her head and torso, but he could see her legs. She was lying on her sleeping bag.

"Sa-am," he sung out.

No answer again.

Standing up, he walked over to get a better view. She was asleep. Face down and completely dead to the world. He watched her for a moment. She looked so peaceful. He was tempted to let her sleep. They were both exhausted from the 16-hour walk.

But she needed to eat. In spite of their best efforts neither of them had gained any weight back, and in fact, both of them had lost a few more pounds. She was so thin to start with that he knew that they could be in serious trouble if they weren't careful. So, she had to eat. They both did.

He knelt down beside her and gently shook her shoulder, "Sam, wake up."

She jolted awake, "Wha-?"

"Time for dinner," and he gave her an understanding smile.

"Not hungry," she sent back and then closed her eyes and put her head back down.

He sighed. "Sam, you _have_ to eat," and he gently shook her shoulder again.

A muffled groan and then, "I'm really not hungry, Jack."

"Doesn't matter, you still need to eat. Sam, your body needs the fuel. If you don't eat something, your body is just going to eat itself... more...," he ended softly and his words finally reached her tired mind.

She opened an eye and looked at him balefully, "What a pleasant image," she sent back with a grimace.

He shrugged, "I use what works," and then he allowed a small, tired smirk.

"Allright," she sighed and pushed herself up to a sitting position. Shaking the cobwebs of her nap from her mind, she followed him over to the campfire.

----------

When the meal was over and the dishes had been KP'd, Jack spoke up, "I think we should forego watches tonight." She looked at him in surprise, so he continued, "We're both exhausted and we need all of our energy for the long miles tomorrow. We haven't seen anything hostile or dangerous the entire time we've been here."

She met his gaze for a moment as she thought it over. They didn't have the alarm system that they had back at their valley floor campsite. And they didn't know the terrain around their bivouac site like they knew the area around their more-permanent home on the valley floor. On the other hand, they were both too tired to be worth much on sentry duty tonight. There were risks if they both slept at the same time, but the risks did appear minimal. And they both desperately needed the sleep. Nodding she sent her agreement, "Yeah, that sounds like the best choice. We need the sleep."

They each silently made ready for bed.  
There would be no stargazing tonight.  
Just solid sleep.

- - - - - -

They both slept soundly for five or six hours.  
Nothing disturbed their camp or their slumber.

Around 02:30, local time, Jack awoke to a glittering sky of stars and to the realization that he was freezing. The continued lack of cloud cover still meant for clear skies, but it also provided no insulation or trapping of the day's warmth. The temperature had dropped a little each night since their arrival and it was now dropping below 35 degrees just before each dawn. In addition, their bivouac site near the top of the ridgeline was exposed to stronger winds than down below.

The end result of all of this was that it was too damn cold, he muttered internally. Poking his head further out of his bag, he looked over towards Sam's, to find her sitting up with her knees pulled towards her chest.

"Hey," he kept his voice low as always seemed appropriate in the dark of night.

"Hey back," she gave him a small grin and then turned her eyes back to the panorama of stars overhead.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked.

"A while," she answered uninformatively. But it still told him quite a bit. It told him that she was having trouble sleeping.

"Cold?" he ventured and she looked over at him and just shrugged a little and nodded. "Yeah, I'm freezing," he admitted and then thought about their options. They were each wearing all of the clothes that they'd brought for their 2-day overnight excursion. T-shirts, BDU blouses and pants, socks, jackets, wool caps, etc.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to suggest something, and I want you to know that it's not an order...," he started with a preamble and she looked at him questioningly. He had her attention now. "Look, we're both freezing... and we don't have any more clothes or sleeping bags with us... and we have a couple more hours before the sun will be up enough for us to get moving.. and we need more sleep... but we can't sleep because it's too cold...," and he verbally rambled all around his goal without actually getting there.

He looked up to meet her eyes again and she was looking at him curiously. "What do you think of us... sharing a sleeping bag... sharing some body heat... and pulling the second bag over us for a second layer... and I promise that I won't try anything...?" and he waited apprehensively. This was a difficult situation for the two of them, but not one that they hadn't each anticipated.

"It's basically a sound idea," she agreed and then continued, "but it won't work."

"Why not?"

For an answer, she moved over to him and laid her hand on his cheek. He recoiled like he'd been burned, "Jeez, Sam, your hands are like ice!" Echoing the words he'd said on the floor of the clearing the morning of their first day here.

She simply nodded knowingly, "And so are my feet. It wouldn't be fair to share a sleeping bag, Jack. You'd get the losing end of that stick," and seeing the protesting look on his face, she added, "I'd be like sleeping with a giant popsicle!"

That image stopped him for a moment. But only for a moment. Decision made, he pulled himself out of his bag and extended a hand to her, "Come on, let's build the fire back up, move around a bit and get some hot drinks made."

She looked undecided for a second, but then placed her icy hand in his and let him help her up and out of the bag.

Ten minutes later and the fire was burning cheerily and they both were huddled as close to it as they could get without burning themselves. They each had their sleeping bags pulled tightly over their backs which were facing away from the fire's heat. When the hot water was done, they let the tea steep for a minimum amount of time before sipping its heavenly warmth.

They were each on their second cup of tea and he was significantly warmer than he had been a half-hour ago. He watched her circumspectly but carefully as they both warmed up. She had her hands wrapped around her warm mug and her stocking feet were so close to the fire that he swore he saw wisps of smoke off of her socks a few times. "You look a bit warmer now," he offered with a small smile and she gave him one back in return.

"Quite a bit, thanks," she admitted.

"You remind me of a cat we had when I was about 8," he stated casually and was rewarded with a look of bemused suspicion settling over her face. "That cat would almost climb into the fireplace on cold, winter mornings. I'm certain that that cat got so close to the fire that the ends of its hair were singed. I touched the cat's fur a few times and it was so hot, I couldn't believe that the cat wasn't burned."

"Yeah, Schrodinger used to do that whenever I lit a fire, or turned on a portable heater. He'd press himself right up against the grate and fall asleep that way," she was smiling softy as she looked into the flames of the campfire.

"Well, I think that you're giving ole' Schrodinger a run for his feline money... Your socks aren't going to catch on fire are they?" he speculated with a quirk of his brows.

She watched her toes for a moment, "Naw... although, I think it's been close a few times," and she grinned happily.

"Sam, ... there's still a few hours before it will be light enough for us to get moving, so we should catch a few more hours of sleep if we can," he suggested.

She nodded, "Sounds good to me," and she was moving to toss dirt on the fire and it was only a few minutes work before the two of them were back at their bedrolls.

"I think we should consider my previous suggestion again," he broached as she started to climb into her bag, "otherwise, we're both just going to be freezing in a half hour or so," he elaborated.

She paused, looked up at him and then silently nodded. He unzipped his bag, crawled in and motioned her over. She shimmied in with her back to his front and then carefully zipped up the now-very-tight bag. "Not much room to move," she commented.

"It's ok, it's only for a couple of hours," his voice hummed against the back of her neck.

Reaching out of the bag, she pulled her sleeping bag over the top of the two of them as an added blanket. They each moved around a bit until they were settled fairly comfortably, spooned up against each other with his arm wrapped over her waist.

Five minutes passed and neither of them fell asleep. "Jack, are you going to able to sleep like this?" She was fully aware that he was probably thinking of how they'd woken up here on this planet.

He didn't reply and that answered her question for her more than adequately. "Let's switch to our other sides," she decided. "I'll sleep behind you." When he didn't move or respond, she added, "Jack we both need some more sleep, and I'm not going to be able to sleep if you aren't."

That did it, and he started moving, pulling his arm from around her waist and then trying to turn over. Unzipping the bag, she slid out a bit which allowed him the room to turn around. Once he was settled, she slid back in and then rezipped the bag before turning over to face his back.

She wrapped her arm over his waist as she spooned up behind him. "Night Jack," she mumbled into his back. "Night Sam," came gently back as they two of them relaxed enough to drop back into sleep.

Warmer with their new sleeping arrangements, the two officers slept well past dawn. Making up for their bodies' exhaustion from the day before.

This time, Jack woke up first. The angle of the sun surprised him, as they were both usually up just around dawn on days when they were hiking and bivouacking. He felt the warmth of her body pressed up against his back. Holding himself still, he listened to her soft, slow breathing and knew that she was still deep asleep.

Thinking about the day ahead, he decided that there was no rush to getting up. Their morning's objective was the ridgeline summit and the view to be seen from that new vantage point. Getting there too early would only mean that the low-angle early morning light would make things difficult to see, map and photograph.

As another half-hour passed, he relaxed and watched the early morning light and shadows play though the trees. A few wispy clouds graced the horizon and held his interest for quite some time. The early morning light with its extra refraction made the clouds burn a beautiful orange and pink against the grey-blue of the dawn sky. The usual lack of clouds had meant that the sunrises and sunsets were not generally of the 'awe-inspiring' variety. So this morning's few wispy clouds were creating a treat.

He was tempted to wake Sam up to see the 'Morning Show' but he knew that her sleep was more important. His attention wandered lazily and he let his eyes drift without purpose.

A small movement caught his eye.

He turned his head and scanned the tree trunks a few feet away.  
And then one of those sort-of-cute alien bunny rabbits waddled into view.  
Only sort-of-cute because, while the critters sort-of reminded them of rabbits back on earth... they obviously weren't...no cute puff-ball tail... no long floppy ears... They sort-of hopped and sort-of waddled. Amusing at the same time it was oddly disturbing.

The 'rabbits' were apparently herbivores and had presented no obvious dangers to the two officers. So for now, he just watched the little critter as it sniffed and picked at a low bush. Pulling off a few small, thin branches, the critter began methodically stripping the leaves from its harvest.

Blurry movement caused him to shift his focus much closer to their sleeping bags. To see that a few feet away, one of those nasty grey-green spiders was walking carefully over the forest litter. Apparently no more interested in the two alien humanoids than its furry fellow native, the spider was rapidly crossing Jack's field of view from left to right, but was not approaching the sleeping bags.

The arm around his waist moved just a fraction and she shifted a little. He waited and listened to her breathing. She was awake.

"Good morning," she spoke softly into his back as she snuggled against his warmth.

Knowing she couldn't see his face, he smiled to himself. "Good morning. Sleep better – or at least warmer?"

"Much, why don't all military issue bags come with a great big hot water bottle like this?" and he could hear the sleepy tone of amusement in her voice. She was still relaxed and not at 100 percent alertness yet.

"You weren't so bad for keeping me warm either," he allowed. "At least not after a couple of hot cups of tea were inside you and after you'd crisped your toes in the fire."

He could feel her soft chuckles against his back more than hear them. "Mmmm... well, those two cups of tea are now demanding attention," and he could hear the regret in her voice as she squirmed around to find the bag's zipper.

- - - - - - -

Cognizant of their slimming bodies, they took the time for a hot breakfast before breaking camp. Well-rested and fairly well-fed, their energy reserves were recharged and they hiked the rest of the way to the ridgeline summit with a renewed spring in their steps.

They reached their aerial viewpoint just past 0900 local time. Setting easily into their roles, Sam set to systematically snapping overlapping photos of the 360 degree panorama and the valleys on each side of the ridge. Jack pulled their map out and began checking, verifying, correcting and adding to their developing map of the region.

Interestingly, Jack's Lake was easier to see from this ridgeline than it had been from the higher summit that they'd reached days ago on the other side of the valley. From this side, the lake was visible clearly though a gap in the taller trees on the southern side of the lake.

Turning to the side of the ridgeline that was not visible from their campsite, they carefully mapped the major features of the terrain. A few spurs and small creeks leading down to a valley that ran roughly parallel to their own. This valley was smaller than theirs however, and they could not spot any significant clearings or lakes.

Returning their attention to their own valley, they used the binoculars to scrutinize the upstream portion beyond the 'Gate. That was where they planned to make the last of their four initial exploratory hikes.

As before, and as with the view from the other ridgeline, they scoured the entire vista before them for any signs of buildings, ruins or any artificial structures.

As before, they did not find anything.  
Just more trees.  
Lots and lots of trees.  
With no apparent sign of any homes or cities within the region around the 'Gate.

The initial SGC reconnaissance of this planet had not discovered anything either, although it was always possible that the planet was teeming with life. Just not right here. Perhaps the native intelligent life on this planet lived on another continent. And had never used the Stargate. Without any planes or UAVs (unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles), Jack and Sam would not be able to explore the rest of the planet in any way besides by foot.

Packing up around 1100, they began a careful, zigzagging descent back down to the valley floor. Going down was easier and faster than going up and what had taken 9 hours to climb, only took 7 hours to descend. With another 8 hours of trekking across the valley floor still ahead of them, they bowed to their Earth-based circadian clocks and bivouacked at the bottom of the ridge.

Again, taking the time for a fire and some hot food and drink, they each made sure that the other ate a sufficient amount of the one-pot dinner. Although it was still light, they decided to rack-out and store up some sleep and energy for the walk home tomorrow.

Approaching their bed rolls, they looked at each other. Each wondering what the other was thinking. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged a little, "It is a lot warmer," she offered a sideways invitation.

He nodded and smiled, "Lots warmer," and then started to climb into his sleeping bag.

"Wait a sec," she stopped him. "Let's try it this way," and she climbed in first and lay facing back out at him and then motioned for him to join her. He crawled in with his back to her front, as they'd slept the previous evening. Now he could easily pull up the zipper. Before doing so, he pulled her bag over the top of them as their over-blanket.

As it was much earlier in the evening and the temperature wasn't as cold as it had been up on the ridge at 0330, he left the zipper partially down and he loosely pulled the unzipped edges together with his arms. This allowed them a little slack and the bag wasn't as taught or constricting.

"Night Jack," she mumbled against his back as they settled down.

"Night," he sent back softly.

The two dropped off to sleep quickly in spite of the early hour and still-light sky.

Sleeping solidly for a good 7-8 hours each, their Earth-bound internal clocks woke them in those early hours before dawn again. The outside temperature had dropped, but it wasn't as cold as it had been up on the wind-exposed ridge. Warm, the two simply relaxed and dozed for the last couple of hours.

Refreshed and ready to go, they ate breakfast in the pre-dawn dark and were trekking back to their basecamp as the first rays of sunlight began streaming through the trees.

Another 7 hours put them back in camp around noon.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	22. Be The Fish

"_Night Jack," she mumbled against his back as they settled down._

"_Night," he sent back softly._

_Refreshed and ready to go, they ate breakfast in the pre-dawn dark and were trekking back to their basecamp as the first rays of sunlight began streaming through the trees._

_Another 7 hours put them back in camp around noon._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 22: BE THE FISH**

- - -

After checking their supplies and alarm systems and a quick trip to the 'Gate to look for any evidence of visitors, they finished unpacking and settled around the camp with small tasks and chores.

"Sam, what say we take the next two days off?" he proposed.

"Off?" she queried back while looking up from her work on a little repair of the small drainage ditch they'd dug around their campsite. It hadn't rained yet, but they didn't want to get flooded when it did.

"Yeah, off, as in 'no work'... no hikes, no big projects around camp... 'off' like a weekend," and at her raised eyebrows he hastened to continue, "We've worked on something every day we've been here. And we're burning out. We're working hard and not replacing all of the calories that we're burning... So I propose a couple of days of doing nothing and going nowhere. Letting our bodies recharge and repair a bit."

She studied him quietly. Rarely in her life had she ever taken two days in a row and just... sat around... When she did take time off, she went somewhere... and did something... rode her motorcycle, went hiking... visited friends... something... but she didn't just sit around. And she didn't think he could either.

"Do you want to go to the lake?" she asked.

"Nope. That's a day's walk away. Too far for this no-work weekend," he stated definitively.

She studied him for a few more moments. Weighing the options and possibilities. "I can work on the laptops?"

He considered it. He'd rather she didn't, but he also didn't have much else to amuse her with for two entire days. At least she wouldn't be very physically active and it would give her body a rest. He wasn't sure how to rest her mind... if that was even possible! So, he nodded, "That's OK, just not for sixteen hours straight," he qualified.

"OK then," she agreed and gave him that small shrug and smile again before turning back to her task.

- - - - - -

That night, they'd returned to their previous sleeping arrangements in their tent. The insulating warmth of the tent and the extra sleeping bags didn't justify the bivouac sleeping arrangements in basecamp. They both however, missed the comforting presence of the other snuggled up in the same bag, but neither of them voiced this out loud.

- - - - - - -

Their two weekend days passed slowly but their bodies needed the rest. Sam predictably spent the entire first morning working non-stop on her computer. Whereupon, after lunch, Jack took the laptop away and demanded that she find something else to do. To his surprise, she didn't argue much and popped the laptop batteries into the solar recharger and then accompanied him down to the river to try a little fishing.

He could see the fish, but hadn't caught one yet. The stores of supplies had included some hooks and some line. For a pole, he'd stripped the leaves from a young branch that had a little bend to it while still being fairly sturdy.

He'd tried a variety of native bugs and worm-like slimy things as bait. So far, however, he hadn't enticed even a nibble of curiosity from the fish in this river.

An hour or so passed as they sat by the peaceful stream. Watching the water sluice by with the rippling reflections of the light and shadows streaming through the trees... the only sounds coming from the rustling of the leaves in the wind, the occasional small critter scampering across the forest litter, and Jack's sporadic muttering and cursing as he tried each new type of bait that he could come up with.

Tossing his newly baited hook back into the water, he turned to make a comment to Sam, only to realize that she was sound asleep. Propped up against a log, she'd drifted off. He smiled gently at her sun-dappled figure relaxed here on this river bank. He wondered how many times in her life she'd been in a position where she could just relax, and take a nap? And so-called power-naps with her face on her keyboard didn't count!

- - - - - - -

"Jack! I got one!"

"Wha-a-?" he snapped awake... from where he'd dozed off.

"I got one!" She repeated excitedly and he focused his eyes to see her dangling a slimy, dripping-wet fish in front of his face. He instinctively jerked his head back before it touched him.

"Ooops, sorry," she pulled it back.

He looked at the fish more closely. It was roughly 6-7 inches long with iridescent green scales. With a forked tail-fin and eyes on either side of its head, the native fish looked just like a fish from Earth. If the comparison continued, he estimated that a fish that size could yield at least several ounces of meat.

Looking up at her, he caught the still-excited look of the proud fisherman on her face. "Very nice," he allowed, but then just had to qualify it with, "But you do realize that actually catching a fish thoroughly spoils the Zen of Fishing..."

She just rolled her eyes at him and then looked back at her prize with a puzzled expression, "Um, I've never cleaned a fish before, have you?" He narrowed his eyes at her too-innocent tones. Looking back over at him, she smiled, although he could swear it was more of a small smirk, "Because if catching fish spoils the Zen, I suppose that you'd not get to the cleaning part very often?" and the smile was wider now.

"Very funny, ver-r-ry funny," he returned.

"So, you do know how to clean a fish in order to eat it?" she clarified.

"Yes Sam, I do know how to clean a fish!" he retorted.

"So, what do we do first?" she asked while watching its weak flopping. "Should I get the zat?"

"You've never cleaned a fish?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, never caught one before, either," she replied simply.

"Speaking of which, just what did you do to catch this fella?" he asked.

"I tried one of the water bugs for bait," she answered. "While we were sitting here earlier, I was just thinking about this and that... the reflections of the trees and bushes on the water... the ripples and how they reminded me of the wormhole event horizon... the mathematics of the reflections on the ripples...and then I started thinking of what it must all look like from the fish's perspective...,"

"From the fish's perspective?" he interjected incredulously.

"Well, you're always mentioning the Zen of Fishing-," she started but he interrupted with,

"It's the Zen of Fishing... the quiet, the peace, the solitude... the... act of just doing nothing... you're not supposed to '_Be_ The Fish'!" but he couldn't keep the wide grin off of his face as he made fun of her.

She arched an eyebrow and looked pointedly at her fish. _Her_ fish!

Now he rolled _his_ eyes and relented. "OK, ok, continue... you were Thinking Like a Fish, you _Were_ The Fish," he deliberately played it up, "Then what?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, but then continued to explain, "Well, the refractive properties between air and water create a wide-angle-lens effect for the fish... what is typically deemed a fish-eye view," and she glanced at him sideways, waiting for him to insert something sarcastic, but he kept quiet this time and just looked at her innocently. "So I started thinking about what these fish had available for a food supply. Some fish are herbivores and graze on underwater algae that coats rocks-,"

"How do you know all this?" he couldn't help himself.

"Know all what?" she asked, and he was certain that she was being deliberately obtuse.

"All about fish! That's what! How can you know what a fish eats when you've never caught one or cleaned one?" he elaborated.

She just shrugged and gave him a small smile. "Biology class? The Discovery Channel? A nephew who likes a children's book all about fish?" All said with a complete innocence apparently designed to drive him insane.

"OK, ok, continue, You 'Were The Fish', with wide eyes and eating nasty green slimy stuff, so then what?" he synopsized with that typical Jack O'Neill sarcastic slant...

...that almost never failed to elicit a smile from her that she couldn't seem to completely hide. And this time was no exception, although she tried to offset it with a bit of eye-rolling. "So, I just watched these fish for awhile. And every now and then, I noticed a small set of ripples would seem to originate from near the shoreline or the edges of some of the rocks that stick out of the water. I couldn't figure out what was causing it, so I went closer to the water, but I couldn't see anything. There weren't even any ripples anymore. After awhile, I came back up here and then noticed the ripples every now and then again."

"Eventually, I went back to camp and got the binoculars," and she pointed to where they now sat over on the ground next to where she'd been napping earlier. "I focused in on the portion of the shoreline where the most ripples seemed to be coming from... and I saw the water bugs. Apparently they are extremely shy, and when we come close to the edge, they hide in the weeds and rocks."

"I watched them for awhile, but none of them were moving enough to create the ripples that I'd seen," and she paused for a breath and checked to make sure that he was still listening. Seeing that he was, she continued, "Well, to make a long story short, I was watching the water bugs when there was a blur across my view. I lowered the binoculars and could see ripples moving outwards from the area that I'd been watching. It only took a little while longer to figure out that the fish were snacking on the water bugs," she concluded.

"If they are so shy, how did you catch one?" he asked.

"Well, first I sat by the water's edge for awhile and waited for the water bugs to come back out. Then... I used your hat-"

"My hat?!" he looked around and saw his soggy boonie hat over neat the water's edge.

"Yeah, I just sorta dropped the hat down and then scooped the edges together around the insects. I missed a lot before I finally got a couple," she admitted.

"Why MY hat?" he asked with narrowed eyes as he looked over at the -dry- baseball cap on her head.

"Errr... you weren't using it at the moment? And the soft boonie hat just seemed like it had a better chance of wrapping around..."

"OK, so you caught some water bugs..., then what? No, wait- I slept through all this? How long did all this take anyway?" and he looked at his watch. It was 1815 local time... he'd probably been asleep for a little over 3 hours!

She just shrugged. "I'm not sure, I didn't look at my watch when I woke up from my... nap," and he smiled at her embarrassment. Sam Carter was not used to taking _idle_ _naps_ in the middle of the day while just kicking back next to a river!

"So these fish like water bugs?" he mused while studying the river.

"Very much, apparently," she answered following his gaze. "Though they won't seem to take the bait unless you kind of drag the bug over the surface of the water," she added while watching the reflections on the water.

He stared at her. "That's called fly-fishing, Sam," he informed her.

"These look more like they would belong to the order Hermiptera than Diptera," she objected distractedly.

He looked a bit non-plussed, but she didn't notice as she was still watching the surface of the water. "I thought you were a physicist?" he protested with a small smile.

"Astrophysicist," she replied with a small smile of her own.

"So... how does an astrophysicist know so much about bugs?"

"Same young nephew," she returned with a roll of the eyes.

"Most little boys only want to know what's the slimiest and creepiest, they don't want to know the Latin names and classifications!" he pointed out.

She just shrugged and smiled again, "He was so excited about different kinds of bugs that I got him an insect photo-id book. It was a little advanced for someone his age, but there were good photos of all of the insects."

"So what did you do, read the whole book while he was running around searching for new bugs to identify?" he accused and was rewarded with a shy blush on her part.

"Not the _whole_ book," she returned indignantly and then decided to change the topic away from her reading habits, "Well, how about you show me how to clean this?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am, that sounds like a good idea," he agreed as he started to stretch, "Time to move around a bit anyway, the old muscles are getting bit stiff."

- - -

A half-hour later and the fish was cleaned and cooked. As Sam had caught the fish, she had the honors of acting as test guinea pig. As he had done with the 'rabbit' meat, she ate a little less than an ounce or so and then they burned the rest so that it wouldn't attract scavengers into their camp.

- - - - -

The second day of their self-declared idle-weekend was harder for Sam. Jack allowed her to spend time on her laptop, but then he demanded that she find something else to do. Unfortunately, with her body well-fed and her mind well-rested, she was antsy and fidgety. Jokingly, Jack told her to try thinking like a fish again, to "Be The Fish", but she eventually just scowled at him, so he let that one drop for the time being.

Jack finally hit on a solution. They had found some stringy tree bark on some young saplings, that when stripped, could be twisted and woven to make a fairly nice, strong rope. So the two of them spent a while stripping bark and then spent a few hours sitting quietly weaving and creating lengths of rope for such things as lashing pieces of their shelter together more strongly, or for such things such as a clothesline.

As the second day of their 'vacation' came to a close, and with Sam displaying no ill effects from the cooked fish over the previous 28-hours, they declared fish as the second basic meat for their growing list of alien edible foods.

- - - - -

Lying under the stars at the close of that second day, Sam spoke quietly, "The days off were a good idea, Jack, thanks."

He glanced over at her, "We both needed it," he agreed.

And they _had _both needed it. They'd worked their bodies hard over the first several weeks and the last two days of recuperation had revitalized them both. They hadn't regained much of their lost weight but Jack was much more relaxed and Sam had regained a bit of the sparkle in her eyes and color in her cheeks.

"So, how does that whole fishy-eye-view thingy work?" he asked.

"Are you sure you want to know?" she always asked, just to be certain, before launching into enthusiastic technobabble.

"Do I have to 'Be The Fish' in order to understand it?" he joked.

"No, but it might help," she sent back with a cheeky grin before launching into an explanation of light refraction through translucent media of different densities. She held his attention with examples of marching bands walking through sand and then she explained how it worked for telescopes such as the one that he had on his viewing platform at home. He, on the other hand, was actually discovering that he was enjoying listening to her talk enthusiastically about science.

- - - - -

"What? You think you could what?!!"

"Well, it's just a theory... I haven't had a chance to try seeing if it would ever work... it just seems to make sense that it _would_..."

"What would it take to test it?"

"I'm not sure... I haven't had a chance to run any tests along those lines... It really is just an idea..."

"So- what? How long would it take to develop... a couple of days, a week, a month, what?"

She widened her eyes and shrugged both her shoulders and her eyebrows as she tried to quantify the unquantifiable, "Well, probably more like months or years... if it ever worked...," she stated realistically.

"Sam, why are you always so pessimistic? You almost always pull off scientific magic that makes everyone's head spin!"

"Jack, I am a _theoretical_ astrophysicist... that means that I come up with hypotheses and ideas... Very few astrophysicists ever get to test-out or prove their ideas... With the Stargate system, I've just been in the rare position of being able to actually _see _and _touch_ phenomena that are just conjecture for the rest of our planet."

"I know for a fact that 'just' any old theoretical astrophysicist would not have been able to pull off what you have... Face it – there are lots of other scientists at the SGC, and none of them have your insight and brilliance," and even though he couldn't see her face well enough by starlight, he knew that she was blushing. "I heard through the grapevine that one Rodney McKay said that you were an artist in your field. He was right. He was a right-pompous pain-in-the-mikta the rest of the time, but he was right about you... you are an artist when it comes to all that Stargate-physics-slash-blowing-up-suns-stuff."

"I don't think that blowing up suns should be considered an art, Jack."

"Each to his own," he replied. "I thought it was pretty spectacular... better than any Fourth of July fireworks that I'd ever seen."

"The shock wave blew us over 4 million light years... and it would have taken over 125 years at hyperdrive speeds (_distances from Episode 501 "Enemies" Transcript by AQ_) to get back to Earth, if the replicators hadn't built the engine accelerator," she reminded him.

"Pish tosh... details, details. You blew up a sun. That was cool," he maintained.

"Actually, when the Asgard _collapsed_ a sun to create that black hole... now that was cool!" and her face lit up a bit like it had on Thor's ship when they'd gone to ask for help reviving one frozen Colonel in Antarctica.

"So... collapsing a star is more cool than blowing one up?" he asked skeptically.

"Absolutely!" she replied with conviction. "When they collapsed that star, they didn't just destroy a star, they created a black hole! When we blew up Vorash's sun, we destroyed a sun and the inner planets in its solar system - we didn't _create _anything except destruction and a shock wave. But the Asgards _created a black hole_... that's... just... well... pretty cool!" And as the starlight glinted off of her teeth, he knew that she was grinning foolishly at just the thoughtof creating a black hole!

"Hmmph," he chuckled, "If you say so...," and he figured that he was earning a grin of sufferance from her in the dark. "So... back to your other idea... that would be cool... how do you think it might work?"

She looked over at him, startled that he'd actually remembered what she'd been 'technospeaking' about earlier. His interest in her scientific ramblings had set her off-balance at first, but she was pretty sure that he was doing it for her. To let her "blow off some scientific steam"... and, well, it was so much more fun to share her thoughts than to have to keep them all to herself day in and day out. What had surprised her the most was that he was apparently listening and trying to follow what she was saying... he wasn't just prompting her to talk while he drifted off with his own thoughts. So, she was trying hard to reciprocate by working to find analogies that made the physics more tangible and visual.

"I _was_ listening," he pointed out with a challenging smirk.

"Er, yeah, I'm just not quite used to it yet, sorry," she smiled back at him.

"So, 'Splain it to me, Lucy,'," with a horrible Spanish accent that made her wince... and _that_ made him chuckle lightheartedly.

"Well...," she pulled her thoughts back to their original conversation... which had started from basic refraction and the optics of a wide-angle lens... or the fish-eye-view... and then had gone to the optics of basic telescopes... and then she'd wandered to the watery effect of the Stargate's event horizon... From there she'd started extrapolating into some of her ideas of what they might be able to do with the Stargate in the future... in particular, since anything that entered one Stargate, exited the other end of the wormhole with the same momentum and trajectory, she postulated that they should be able to translate the light energy entering the wormhole into an image on the other end...

And this was what he thought was cool! That the watery, blue-grey surface of the wormhole would become a shimmering video screen that showed the view of the planet on the other end. And, unlike matter which could only go from the initiating 'Gate to the receiving 'Gate, electromagnetic energy (e.g., radio waves, microwaves, etc.) could go both ways through an open wormhole... So, they could get a look _before_ they sent a MALP through. His mind was immediately working through the strategic advantages... they'd know if there were hostiles standing at the gate... armed Jaffa, or some others. They'd get a visual recon on some of the surface conditions... and maybe even save the SGC a ton of money when they didn't have to send MALPs into conditions where they couldn't be retrieved.

Sam, on the other hand, was still lost in the beauty of the multi-dimensional space-time physics that could make the potential visual image appear on the event horizon. She could see the military and/or strategic advantages when she needed to. But, right here, right now... lying under the stars on an alien planet... she didn't need to worry about the military or strategic advantages. She could just enjoy the sheer magic of the physics that controlled and shaped the universe.

"It _would be_ cool," he repeated.

"Yeah," she agreed. "But it's just a theory, and I could have something wrong in my chain of logic or understanding... probably more than one something... so it might never actually work," she qualified.

"Ever the _theoretical_ astrophysicist...," he confirmed and she could hear the affection in his voice.

"Always," she sent back softly.

"It _would_ be cool," he sent back again and they both smiled up at the stars.

- - - - - -

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what"

"For this. For listening. For letting me go on and on about physics and science... and my ideas... for listening to the technobabble," she clarified.

"No problem," and he knew that her eyebrows were climbing into her hair, so he qualified that, "Well, not as much of a problem as I expected... I ... well, I've actually enjoyed a lot of it – but I'll deny it if you ever tell anyone!" he finished.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," she sent back softly.

A few moments of silence and then-

"Think you could pull in the Simpsons on that Carter-Gate-Screen?"

"You want to use the Stargate as a giant-"

"So that would be a 'No'?" he interrupted.

"Yes," with a sigh.

"Yes that's a 'No'?" he returned, deliberately enjoying being annoying.

"Yes Jack, that's a 'No'," she repeated patiently, but she couldn't keep from smiling at his antics.

"Darn! Guess that means no hockey games, either?"

And the sigh that reached his ears only made his grin wider.

A few moments of silence passed... and then...

"Was that a 'No' because it wouldn't be possible? Or was that a 'No' because you'd rather watch the Discovery Channel?"

Silence answered him again.

The moments ticked by as they watched the glittering sky.

"I'd share, you know. We could watch the Simpsons, then you could watch the Discovery Channel ... until a hockey game came on... but when it was over, you could go back to the History Channel or the Weather Channel if you wanted to," he just couldn't let go of this... it was just too much fun.

A moment passed, and he figured that she was going to continue to pretend to ignore his ridiculous statements.

Finally deciding to avoid the scientific complexities that he would disregard anyway, she offered something more practical, "First, even if you could turn the wormhole event horizon into a large-screen TV, Earth could not afford to keep the wormhole engaged and tied-up for consecutive 30-minute intervals for the purpose of... watching TV," she glanced sideways to see that she'd silenced him for the moment. A small grin crossed her face in victory before she added, "And second, the History Channel would be for Daniel and the Weather Channel is the express property of Jonas – I think he bought stock in it when came for his last visit to Earth."

A few more moments of silence, and then,

- -

"So, that's a definite 'No' then?"

- -

- - - - - - -

_TBC_

- - - - - - -

* * *

**Author's Note: Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
****www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm **(just replace the _dot_s with periods)  
_for Episode 422 "Exodus", Transcript by AQ  
__for Episode 501 "Enemies", Transcript by AQ.  
__for Episode 802 "New Order, part 1", Transcript by Callie Sullivan_

- - -


	23. Alarm

- - -

**Ch 23: ALARM**

- - -

Their overnight trek upstream from the 'Gate had not revealed any new information or discoveries - other than a couple of new types of fruit and vegetables to try.

Clouds had developed in the late afternoon of each of the past four days, but there had not been any rain yet... just a dip in the afternoon warmth and sunlight.

Now well into their fourth week on the planet, they were stretching their SGC food stores with fish and game for dinner, as well as limited quantities of the local fruits and vegetables that they had tested.

Sam had snapped digital pictures of their regional map so that if the original was damaged or lost, then they would still have the files on the computer as reference. All of their notes, pictures, star maps, etc., were backed up on at least 2 of the external (back-up) harddrives.

Their shelter was now reinforced with their homemade rope and they'd built a separate, smaller cover for the campfire. They had set it up with movable walls that served as wind breaks and an overhanging roof. The walls were adjustable so that they could be repositioned depending on which was the wind was blowing from. They could also provide more protection for the fire if and when the weather conditions turned wet or stormy.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_Bzzzzzzzzzz_

_Bzzzzzzzzzz_. Something on Sam was buzzing.

"Wha-," he started to ask, but she was already answering.

"It's the gate alarm," she spoke quickly as she turned the receiver in her pocket off.

They both picked up their P90s and started jogging towards the Gate clearing.

- - -

They slowed into the cautious soldier's crouch-like advance as they neared the end of the path.

- - -

With soundless hand signals...

- - -

...and using the native trees and brush for cover...

- - -

...they dropped to the ground...

...and quietly crawled the last few remaining feet...

- - -

...to the foliage at the edge of the clearing.

- - -

Both veteran field officers peered out from just inside the leafy vegetation into the clearing surrounding the 'Gate.

Alert and with weapons ready.  
Neither of them spoke or made a sound.  
Their experienced eyes scanning and assessing the scene before them.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	24. Hope

- - -

_Both veteran field officers peered out from just inside the leafy vegetation into the clearing surrounding the 'Gate._

_Alert and with weapons ready.  
Neither of them spoke or made a sound.  
Their experienced eyes scanning and assessing the scene before them._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 24: HOPE**

- - -

"_Chevron Three, Engaged."_

"I think this one looks good, Teal'c," Daniel stated optimistically.

The Jaffa tilted his head and looked steadily at the archeologist.

"_Chevron Four, Engaged."_

"Previous reconnaissance found a lack of hostile life... and a lack of any intelligent life at all. So, no angry natives to deal with. A climate similar to Earth's. Plenty of vegetation and wildlife without any apparent large or dangerous carnivores," Daniel reiterated the highlights from the reports.

"_Chevron Five, Engaged."_

"And," Daniel added, "This planet was on the list of candidates for the Alpha Site."

"_Chevron Six, Engaged."_

"I concur, DanielJackson. This planet does indeed appear promising," the Jaffa commented somberly.

"_Chevron Seven, Engaged... and Locked,"_ Sgt. Davis called out as the wormhole flushed outwards with its characteristic Kawoosh.

- - - - - -

"Send the MALP through," General Hammond ordered as he turned and sent a reassuring glance at the two members of SG-1 currently standing behind the technicians in the control room.

"Sending MALP," Sgt. Davis repeated the order back as he signaled to Sgt. Siler who was standing beside the remote-controlled machine.

Responding to the Sgt's commands, the bulky robotic vehicle lurched into movement and began slowly crawling up the ramp. A few moments later, its boxy shape silently slid into the rippling surface and disappeared from their view.

"MALP is in transit," Davis reported and then a few moments later, "MALP has arrived on planet. Receiving MALP telemetry."

Data began scrawling across the screens in front of several different technicians.

And then a video image popped up on Sgt. Davis' screen.

"Ohhkaay," Daniel breathed out as their eyes all scanned the image for information. "We have... trees..."

Sgt Davis began slowly turning the MALP while panning the remote camera for wider coverage.

The images showed the 'Gate to be in a clearing surrounded by forest.

After a few minutes of panning and scanning, Daniel commented, "No immediate signs of intelligent life – other than the 'Gate and the DHD...," and no one contradicted him.

No animals were immediately evident, but that was not unusual as the activation of the 'Gate and the appearance of the MALP tended to make most animals hide for awhile.

"SergeantDavis, please focus on the DHD," Teal'c directed intently and the Sergeant panned back over to the DHD and then zoomed in.

"Whhhoooo...," Daniel let out a breath at the image before them.

The Sergeant looked back at the men behind him.  
Teal'c, as usual, showed no obvious reaction.  
The General simply looked somber and concerned.  
Doctor Jackson looked discouraged.

Because the DHD was heavily damaged.

"I'll bet that doesn't work anymore," Daniel finally managed.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

Author's Note: These last two chapters _demanded_ to be written this way... short and with this... errr... cliffhanger... (hides under keyboard while shoving Muse into the line of fire)... 


	25. MALP

- - -

_The Sergeant looked back at the men behind him._  
_Teal'c, as usual, showed no obvious reaction.  
__The General simply looked somber and concerned.  
__Doctor Jackson looked discouraged._

_Because the DHD was heavily damaged._

"_I'll bet that doesn't work anymore," Daniel finally managed._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 25: MALP**

- - -

"No, it is highly unlikely that this DHD is still functional," Teal'c confirmed.

"Sorta makes it difficult to gate-out, doesn't it?" Daniel asked rhetorically.

"A non-functional DHD would explain why we haven't heard from them, sir," Sgt. Davis offered.

Nodding, the General continued to study the images of the damaged DHD. Standing back up to his full height, "Hold the Gate open for another 20 minutes while monitoring the video and audio feed for any signs of our missing people – or native intelligent life. If you don't find anything, we'll leave the MALP in record mode and then, in two hours, we'll re-establish a wormhole to retrieve the MALP data and conduct another 20 minutes of real-time observation."

"Yes sir." "Understood General Hammond." The two men of SG-1 responded without taking their eyes off of the incoming video feed.

- - - -

Twenty minutes later, Sgt. Davis shut the wormhole down as per his orders.

Daniel stared at the now-quiet Stargate.

They'd seen nothing of any consequence on the video feed and heard nothing on the audio feed. Just a few small animals... rodents and bugs. Nothing to indicate intelligent life. No signs of Jack or Sam.

"Physical exercise would be an apt use of the next two hours," Teal'c suggested.

Daniel pulled his gaze from the vertical metal ring and looked up at the Jaffa, "Yeah... I think that's probably a good idea, Teal'c," he begrudged as he stood up stiffly and slowly followed his friend from the control room.

- - -

Two hours later, they re-established the wormhole and retrieved the recorded MALP data. Watching and listening for another 20 minutes, they were disappointed to neither see nor hear anything that would indicate the presence of the missing officers.

In spite of their disappointment, they doggedly scanned through the recorded visual and audio records from the previous two hours.

And found nothing.

- - - - - -

General Hammond scanned the quiet personnel seated around the briefing room table. Doctor Jackson, Teal'c, Sgts Davis and Siler and two computer data analysts. They'd already covered the findings... or rather lack thereof.

"Recommendations?" Hammond asked.

"We could try a UAV," Dr. Jackson suggested.

The General sighed sympathetically, "Sorry Doctor, but I can't send a team in to retrieve the equipment when I can't be sure that they'll be able to get the gate working to return home... we just don't know the condition of the Gate controls or power source. It opens for an incoming wormhole, but we have no guarantees of whether or not anyone would ever be able to establish an outgoing wormhole. From the MALP images, portions of the DHD are broken while other portions have entire panels missing. The internal damage can't be assessed at all from the images. I can't take the risk of stranding more people there – or more equipment. If we find any evidence of General O'Neill or Colonel Carter, then we can discuss sending equipment through to set up and power a manual dial-out."

"Yes sir," the archeologist replied softly.

"Perhaps we could ask Thor to visit this planet," Teal'c suggested. "He could retrieve the MALP and scan the area for GeneralO'Neill and ColonelCarter."

Hammond smiled a little at the Jaffa's recommendation, "Teal'c that is a superb idea. Why don't you and Doctor Jackson send a communication to Thor asking him to do just that," initially phrased as a question, his statement was actually more of an instruction.

- - - - - - -

Daniel knocked politely on the General's open door.

"Yes?" the senior officer looked up from his endless paperwork.

"Sir, Thor replied. If we can get any indication of Jack or Sam's presence, he will make sure that an Asgard ship stops by the planet in the next 3-4 days. If we can't find any indications that they are there, he promised to retrieve any SGC equipment sometime in the next 6-8 weeks." Daniel replied.

"Understood," Hammond replied thoughtfully.

"Sir, we could try the UAV now... and Thor can retrieve it when he picks up the MALP," Daniel suggested.

Hammond leaned back in his chair and then nodded, "Tell Siler to get the UAV prepped and ready for launch in two hours time."

"Yes sir," and Jackson flashed him a small grateful smile.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	26. UAV

_Hammond leaned back in his chair and then nodded, "Tell Siler to get the UAV prepped and ready for launch in two hours time."_

"_Yes sir," and Jackson flashed him a small grateful smile._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 26: UAV**

- - -

"UAV launched... in transit... on planet," Sgt. Davis reported. "Receiving UAV telemetry," and again data began scrolling across several screens and then a visual image popped up on Davis' screen.

All eyes immediately began scanning for signs of the missing officers.

"Trees... nothing but trees," Daniel muttered but the others were silent as they scoured the images.

A few minutes later, "That's one full circle, sir, at 2000 feet above the terrain and at a quarter-mile radius from the 'Gate," Siler informed the General.

"Understood. Run over the same circuit one more time and then extend out to a one-half mile radius and then out in half-mile increments until you are reaching the limits of the fuel necessary to return to the 'Gate," Hammond ordered. Sighing, he turned to the men of SG-1, "As I have even more paperwork to attend to, I will leave this in your hands. Call me if you find anything."

"Yes sir." "Understood GeneralHammond."

- - - - -

The time crept by slowly as the small remote plane swept over the endless expanses of wooded hillsides.

"There's a lake," Sgt. Siler pointed out as the body of water sped by beneath the plane's camera. He directed the plane to circle back and they inspected the lake's shorelines, but they found nothing of note.

"And there's a waterfall," Daniel identified, and Siler again instructed the small plane to circle the vicinity so that they could search more thoroughly.

An hour and a half later, and they were all tired of watching the endless rolling parade of tree tops in the video screen.

- - - - - - - -

Every clearing was inspected thoroughly.

They scrutinized every rock outcropping that could possibly be a building or structure.

Two more small lakes were identified and inspected.

But they found nothing.

No signs of intelligent life.

No signs of General O'Neill or Colonel Carter.

No signs of Jack or Sam.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	27. Tenterhooks

- - -

**Ch 27: TENTERHOOKS**

- - -

_**Back on P8X-539**_

"_It's the gate alarm," she spoke quickly as they both started jogging towards the Gate clearing._

_Both veteran field officers peered from just inside the leafy foliage into the area surrounding the 'Gate. _

_Alert and with weapons ready.  
__Neither of them spoke or made a sound.  
__Their experienced eyes scanning and assessing the scene before them._

- - -

The minutes slowly ticked by.

They both scanned the area around the Gate for any movement.

Everything was silent.

Nothing moved.

The Gate was silent.  
No wormhole formed.

A few of the alien rabbits waddled into view.

A few alien rodents that looked like strange squirrels chattered from the branches of the trees.

But they did not let the apparently quiet innocence fool them.

No, they waited patiently.

- - -

Five minutes passed.

- - -

Then ten.

- - -

And still nothing.

- - -

They exchanged silent glances, but neither of them had any additional information.

- - -

A silent and painstaking half-hour passed.

And still they waited.

- - -

The interminable patient-waiting of the field soldier.

One of fighting boredom at the same time as the edginess of the unknown.

Was something out there?

- - -

And they waited.

- - -

* * *

- - -

Finally, Jack signaled that he was going to take a look around closer to the 'Gate. He silently ordered her to stay put and provide cover.

Nodding her understanding, she watched intently as he crept out into the edges of the clearing.

He moved slowly and kept low.

Stopping frequently and scanning the area around him, he looked for any indications of anything out of the ordinary. Anything where it shouldn't be.

- - -

And then he froze...

Staring at the ground near the 'Gate....

She watched him...  
...trying to figure out what he was seeing...

Then she saw him relax a little and stand up.

He looked over to where he knew she was and gestured for her to come and join him. Remembering his radio, he reached over and grasped it, "Come on over, Carter. You've gotta see this."

Reaching for her own radio, she replied, "On my way," and she carefully stood up and walked cautiously out into the clearing. Still watching for anything out of the ordinary. Any signs that things weren't as they appeared.

- - -

Walking slowly over to join him, she continued to scan the area while watching Jack carefully.

Finally standing by his side, she looked in the direction he was pointing.

...To where two of the alien rodents were calmly chewing on a piece of the wiring to their 'Gate alarm system. Finally she relaxed a bit and raised her eyebrows, "Well it's better than Jaffa visitors," she offered.

"Can you fix it?" he asked.

She reached down and shooed the creatures away. Taking a closer look at the damage, she nodded, "I think so... and then we'll need to devise a covering of some sort to protect the wiring and equipment from future... attacks like today."

He nodded his agreement. "Allright, you stay here and provide cover while I give the clearing a once over... just in case," he directed.

Nodding silently, she stood at the top of the 'Gate steps while he carefully scoured the clearing in a complete circuit. Looking for any signs that anyone other than themselves - or small rodents - had been in the area recently. After an hour of careful scrutiny, however, he relaxed again and returned to join her at the 'Gate.

"Nothing," he stated.

Nodding her understanding, she recommended, "Well, how about if we head back to camp and take care of what we left out? We can pack a lunch and some tools and then come back and I can see about fixing this."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed and they fell into step as they headed across the clearing.

Stopping just at the edge of the clearing, they both looked back once more at the silent 'Gate. "That was... exciting...," she appraised.

He quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly, but then just gave her a small sardonic smile. "Sure am glad that it didn't happen in the middle of our weekend vacation."

She tried unsuccessfully to smother a grin as they headed down the path to their camp.

- - -

* * *

- - -__

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_Author's Note: The segments Alarm, Hope, MALP, UAV and Tenterhooks, came to me as an idea for a sequence of short chapters that interwove Jack and Sam's experiences and Daniel and Teal'c's.... to pull them closer together instead of feeling so remote and removed from each other... and to add a little suspense... :) Muse wanted to be wicked and post one short chapter every other day, but I couldn't do it... I think it would have driven me nuts as a reader... so I figured there'd be other readers out there like me... who want to know... NOW!_

_Longer chapters coming... in fact, Chapter 28 and 29 are each looking fairly lengthy..._

_Special thanks to all who've reviewed (and put up with Muse's antics)._

- - -

_Stargatefgangurl and janissima were correct... it's now time to get _

_  
Back to building the ship..._


	28. A Past Life

Author's Note: The next two chapters are simple ship. :)

_- - -_

_

* * *

- - -_

_Stopping just at the edge of the clearing, they both looked back once more at the silent 'Gate. "That was... exciting...," she appraised._

_He quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly, but then just gave her a small sardonic smile. "Sure am glad that it didn't happen in the middle of our weekend vacation."_

_She tried unsuccessfully to smother a grin as they headed down the path to their camp._

- - -

**Ch 28: A PAST LIFE**

- - -

It was finally time to see if there was anything at all salvageable from the DHD. Each time they had made a trip to the 'Gate to check on the alarm system, she'd winced at the damaged machine. It definitely didn't work and her initial inspections had indicated a total loss. She was just holding on to the outside hope that she could access the power controls so that they could fire up the 'Gate and then manually dial out. It was a very slim, outside hope.

"You 'bout ready?"

"Almost," as she finished packing away all the tools that she might need into her pack. Grabbing the third laptop, she tucked it under her arm for the short walk to the 'Gate. Stepping up beside him, she flashed him a small smile. "Now I'm ready."

Jack gave his pack one last shoulder shrug accompanied with a practiced tug on a strap. As they stepped down the trail to the 'Gate, "So, have you given any more thought to my idea of watching the Simpsons on the event horizon?"

- - - - - -

An hour later and he was bored. Sam was engrossed with the DHD's mangled inner intestines... and Jack had nothing to do but keep watch.

"So how's it going?"

"Hmmm?" very distracted.

"I said how's it going?"

Nothing for a reply this time, and he knew it wasn't intentional. She was simply focused on what she was doing.

Sighing he turned back to his pacing.

- - - - -

"So, how's it going?"

"Jack, why don't you go hunting?"

"Because I'm watching your six while you've got your head buried in that doohickey," he sent back.

She shimmied out from inside the access panel (who knew there was so much room in there?). "I'll be fine, Jack. I'll have plenty of time to get to cover if someone dials in. And we haven't seen any threatening wildlife the entire time we've been here. I've got my radio..."

He stared at her for a few moments. Loathe to leave her here alone. But bored out of his skull without anything to do. And they did need some fresh meat for dinner.

"Allright, but if you ignore my radio checks...," and he floundered for an appropriate threat, "I'll sing endlessly obnoxious bar songs after dinner," he finished gleefully.

She winced and retorted with, "No need to get nasty."

"Ouch!" he smiled and shook his head.

"Besides, name one time where I didn't respond to a radio check," she challenged.

"P2...X oh oh something...," and she just looked skeptical, so he elaborated. "Where you hotwired that crashed ship for that alien-con-man-Cuzco-guy... you didn't answer my radio call."

"I was unconscious, Jack," she scowled at him.

"Details, details," he returned and she rolled her eyes.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Go... hunt something."

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"Desperately," but she was smiling now.

"Or I could stay around here and sing endlessly obnoxious bar songs...?"

"Go. Hunt. Please."

"Allright, allright, you'd think I wasn't wanted around or something," he over-exaggerated a hurt tone.

"Or something," she muttered softly as she stuck her head back into the mangled mess of broken crystals and wires.

- - - - -

"Lunch!" he came walking back into the 'Gate clearing a few hours later to find tools and broken pieces of machinery now neatly arrayed on a tarp next to the DHD with the disembodied torso and legs of his 2IC.

She didn't ignore him, but all he got were indistinct mumbles for a response.

He leaned over and tugged insistently at one of her feet, "Lunch!" he repeated.

"In a moment," clear, but distractedly again.

With a small grin on his face, he shook his head, "No... Lunch... Now...," and he tugged on her foot more insistently.

Her movements stilled and he could imagine the exasperated look on her face. When she was in full scientific-mode, she could work non-stop for hours on end - if not dragged off to eat or sleep by one of the men of SG-1. "C'mon, Sam...," he prodded.

This time he definitely heard the sigh, but she pulled herself out and winced as the sunlight temporarily overpowered her eyes. "What's for lunch?"

- - - - - -

Fifteen minutes later and with their lunch consumed, "Thanks for bringing that over from camp, Jack," she smiled at him while starting to head back to her work on the DHD.

"Nope- No you don't," he protested.

"What-?" she stopped, puzzled.

"You worked non-stop on that thing all morning, now you're taking a break." he declared.

"A break?"

"Yeah, a break, Sam. Lots of folks take them every day at work. Unions demand them," he retorted facetiously.

"We just had a break," she countered.

"That was lunch," he redefined.

"And we took a break at the same time... I've eaten lunch while working thousands of times... and here we didn't work during lunch... that was a break," she explained.

"Sam, you would give a Union leader a heart attack," he returned with amusement.

"There are no unions for military personnel," she was having trouble keeping the smile off her face now.

"Guess I'll just have to step in and fill the role then," he decreed.

She ducked her head to hide the grin and then started back towards the DHD again.

"Ah ah ah – no no no... What did I just get through saying?"

"Jack," she protested.

"A real break, Sam," he clarified.

She sighed with resignation because she knew that he wasn't going to let her get anything done until he got his way, "How long?"

"An hour... hour and a half...," he offered.

"An hour?"

"At least," he emphasized.

"So what do we do for that hour?"

"You can take a nap, or go for a walk... or we could talk... or play a game of some sort...," he suggested.

She stared at him for a moment and then looked back at the DHD with the parts strewn alongside it. Sighing one more time, she fiddled with her watch for a moment and then turned back to him, "What do you want to do?"

"Nope, your choice," he sent it back to her and scowl of frustration flashed across her face before she could stop it... and that only made his grin larger... which earned him a quick glare.

"Well, I guess some exercise would be a good idea," she begrudged. "So I choose walk_ and_ talk." His eyebrows rose a bit, but he quickly nodded. They covered the exposed equipment and weighted down the loose edges of the tarp before departing for a short trek following the contours at the base of the ridge where the brush and mud around the river would not slow them down.

- - - - -

"OK, so we're walking..., What do you want to talk about? The weather? The Simpsons?" he suggested.

"Well actually... I was wondering about you...," she opened tentatively.

"Me?"

"Yeah... things like... Why did you join the Air Force? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Mom and Dad?... things like that," she clarified and then quickly added, "But we can talk about something else if you want... It's just that, well, you know so much about me... I mean, you know about my Mom and Dad and my brother and his kids... you know why I joined the Air Force ... and I don't know the same things about you..."

Silence answered her for a few moments as they wound through the trees along the base of the ridge.

"If you'd rather talk about the weather or something else, it's OK, I didn't mean to get too personal," she said softly.

"No, it's OK. I just forget sometimes that you don't know. I sort of closed off my personal life and history after Charlie died. The Stargate, the SGC and the travel to other planets... have given me a second life that is almost completely disconnected from anything that came before. It's like I... started over."

She just nodded and did not interrupt.

"It's almost like the SGC was my own way of getting a new identity... a new and completely different life. Not quite a clean slate, but as close you can get without having amnesia," he admitted something that he hadn't spoken aloud to anyone else.

Silence passed for a few moments and then she asked, "We could talk about... Cassie?"

"Maybe later...," and he gave her a soft smile, "for now... I have two sisters and no brothers. Elaine is four years younger than me and Kathy is six years younger. I was the typical protective older brother, but when they each reached their serious dating years, I was already off in the Air Force. Elaine... is a teacher and a writer, married and with two girls of her own. Kathy is a...," and here he glanced over at her, "Kathy is a biologist who works for a research facility in Chicago-"

Sam's face split with a wide grin, "She's a _scientist_?"

"Uh, yeah," he admitted ruefully.

"Do you give her a hard time about it?" she asked playfully.

"All the time," he returned proudly.

"Poor woman," Sam muttered theatrically.

"She's put up with me her whole life," he admitted.

"When we get back, I should look her up... sounds like she could give me a few pointers," mischievously.

"When we get back, I will not let you speak to her without me present!" he declared.

Tickled that he hadn't stated any objections to her meeting his sister, she just smiled and looked at the passing woodlands.

"My Mom lives with Elaine and her family in a suburb just outside Grand Rapids, Minnesota," he continued. "Dad passed away... going-on eleven years ago or so now. Heart attack."

"I'm sorry," she empathized.

"Yeah, thanks. It was rough on Mom for a lot of years after that. She and Dad were so close...," and his gaze drifted into the trees.

Sam didn't intrude on his thoughts, but waited patiently.

"You'd like my Mom," he came back and there was a smile on his face. "She's always believed in the liberated woman. She'd want to talk to you about your experiences as a woman in the military and what you've had to deal with."

Sam looked at him questioningly and he grinned, "She'd love you... you're everything she's always told my sisters to strive for. Professional, competent, highly regarded by both male and female colleagues... working in your chosen field...," and he knew he was embarrassing her now.

"Sounds like your sisters listened to your mom," Sam deflected the focus from herself.

"Yeah, Mom's really proud of both of them... and so am I," he added.

"And they have families," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah...," and he sighed, "Although it's been tough on both of them. Elaine and her husband, James, went through a rocky period fifteen years ago where they even tried a trial separation. Eventually worked it out though, and they are still together." He paused and took a breath, "Kathy on the other hand, divorced her husband Tom...oh, I guess it's been five or six years now... I really don't know all of the details... I was out there with you, Danny and Teal'c... saving the world, you know," he shrugged.

"It's tough to have a career and hold a family together," Sam commented.

"It's tough to hold a family together with or without a job," Jack mused out loud.

"So I've heard," and she gave him a small, self-deprecating smile.

"Do you regret not having the hubbie, the 2.4 kids and the white picket fence?" he asked curiously.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But I don't regret the time spent on the Stargate program or with the SGC. We were needed. I think... I'd truly have regrets if I'd spent the past 8-10 years in a research lab 24/7 - with only my data and experiment results to show for my life. That would be... sad."

"I'd have to agree with that," he returned as his thoughts drew an image of a Dr. Sam Carter, obsessive researcher who did nothing but talk to her doohickeys.

"And it's not like the past 10 years have been barren of human contact or relationships," she pointed out. "We've all dated."

"All?" he queried.

"Daniel has had several dates over the years... there was Nurse Brecking... Captain Brand... Doctor Wong...-"

"That young blond computer tech," he added and Sam supplied, "Julie Rogers."

"That brunette who talked too much," he continued and Sam provided, "Susan Camden."

"That red-headed bombshell who always wore blue shoes," he described and she just stared at him, trying to remember Daniel with a woman matching that description... and failed.

"I don't remember anyone like that, Jack," and she was looking at him quizzically.

"Oh, good, I was just checking," he smirked.

"What?" and she stopped walking.

Stopping he turned back to her, "What?" he tried to sound innocent.

"You were checking what?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You," and he achieved a look of complete bewilderment on her face.

"You lost me," she sent back with a confused tone.

"Exactly."

She stared at him.  
And finally got it. 

He was just pulling her tail.  
Just cuz.  
Just cuz he could get that reaction from her.  
Just cuz he could derail her with nonsequiters.

He watched the expressions cross her face and smiled openly. He fully considered the confusion of the oh-so-highly-intelligent Sam Carter to be an art form. One at which he was extremely adept.

He considered it a day wasted if he didn't either cause her a little harmless confusion or a little amusement... signified by a small smile.

Studying her face now, he could tell that she was trying to decide whether to be annoyed or amused. Apparently deciding to settle for something in-between, she shook her head with a small smile on her face. "Very funny."

"I thought so."

"I gathered as much," and there went the eyes rolling as she chuckled ruefully at herself.

"I think it's time we head back," she pointed out.

"Already?"

"It's been a half-hour and it will take that long again to get back," she answered as they turned around and headed back the way that they'd come. Picking up where they'd left off before his silliness, she commented, "Teal'c has also had a few dates over the years too."

"Yeah, T hasn't done so bad for himself. Women always go for that strong silent type," he pointed out.

"And you and I have each dated occasionally... even though there hasn't seemed to have been much time... what with Saving The World and all... but we've managed the occasional date here and there," she pointed out.

"The trouble has always been getting to that second and third date," Jack muttered.

"No argument there," she agreed. "Although I really thought that you and Elise were going to go the distance," she admitted.

He looked over at her and didn't reply immediately.

"Sorry, I should probably just shut up now," and she winced and looked away.

"Elise... we... yeah... it just didn't work out... we eventually decided that it was just better for us to go our separate ways," he stumbled through a sort-of explanation.

"I'm sorry," Sam said for the second time in less than an hour.

"Don't be, I'm not... we...," and he just let it trail off, at a loss for the proper words.

"Change the topic?" she suggested.

"Definitely," he replied gratefully.

"OK, why did you join the Air Force?" and she smiled at him.

"Hey, I can't give you all the answers in a single afternoon walk! What will I have to offer tomorrow or the next day?"

"Well, you can't blame me for trying," she returned unrepentantly.

"OK, it's your turn," and he turned it back to her.

"You already know all the highlights," she protested.

"Not all," he disagreed.

"Everything major," she insisted.

_Everything but what caused you to give up your life's ambition, he thought to himself_, but decided that they didn't have enough time left to get the answers he wanted today.

"Hockey?"

"Sure, but you'll have to do all the talking while I just provide occasional 'ohs' and 'hmmms'."

"I can do that," he sent back.

"Fire away, Mr. Ice," she challenged good-naturedly.

And for the rest of the walk, he regaled her with stories of great moments from his teenage hockey games in Minnesota. She listened carefully, but as she'd predicted, the most that she could add was the occasional 'oh' or 'Mmm'... and she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Author's Notes:**

**As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
****www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm **(just replace the _dot_s with periods)  
_Episode 618 Forsaken, Transcript by Lizzie Anne  
__Episode 708 Space Race, Transcript by Sarae_

**And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at 's Stargate SG-1 website**

- - -


	29. Driving Forces

_And for the rest of the walk, he regaled her with stories of great moments from his teenage hockey games in Minnesota. She listened carefully, but as she'd predicted, the most that she could add was the occasional 'oh' or 'mmhmm'... and she thoroughly enjoyed herself._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 29: DRIVING FORCES**

- - -

As early evening approached, Jack watched his companion.  
Still with her head in that machine.

Every now and then she mumbled something.  
Every then and now she popped out and added something to the pile of pieces arrayed beside the DHD.

"Sam?"

"Mmmm?"

"Time to call it a night," he announced.

"Allright."

Now that was too easy and he knew what it actually meant. Because both she and Daniel had done it to him countless times over the years. She was intending to finish 'at a good stopping place.' But then she'd just think of something else... and follow that train of thought... which would lead to other possibilities.

"Don't 'allright' me... I know what that means – even if you don't... so I will drag you out of there if I have to," he threatened with a smile she couldn't see.

"Okay," still obviously distracted by the mechanical puzzle.

"You leave me no choice...," and he started tugging on her legs.

"Jack!" came sharply and he paused, not wanting to cause her to get cut or electrocuted.

"You can come out on your own... or...," and he let it hang.

"Rrrrhhrhr...!" a sound sort of like a rumble came from her.

And he could swear that it sounded like-, "Sam, did you just growl at me?" he asked incredulously while yet highly amused.

"Rrrrrmh!" more forceful, but clipped short as she backed out of the machine.

"You did! You growled at me!" he accused with a growing smile.

She just stared at him for a moment before begrudging a small smile of her own, "Just a bit frustrated, I guess," she admitted as she stood up and brushed her pants off. "I... it's such a mess in there," and she gestured towards the DHD, "but I keep hoping that the next thing I look at will... give us... something...," and her voice trailed off and she shook her head.

"Maybe tomorrow you'll find something we can use," he suggested quietly.

"Maybe," she returned with a small smile, but her eyes said otherwise.

- - - - - - - -

Watching the weather apprehensively the next morning, they headed to the 'Gate for a second day of work on the DHD. The cloud cover was now increasing daily and the daytime temperatures were cooling significantly.

While Sam struggled with the remnants of the alien technology, Jack worked on a small shelter to protect the dialing device from the weather. Now that the machine was damaged, portions of its internal apparatus were exposed to wind, dust, rain and small animals. Consequently, Jack's small shelter would hopefully shield the DHD from the elements and prevent further damage.

- - - - - -

"Time for lunch!" he announced cheerfully.

No response. Sighing, he leaned down and tugged on her foot as he had yesterday.

"What?" slightly muffled.

"Lunch!" he repeated patiently.

She was silent for a moment, so he just tapped on her foot to remind her that he was waiting. "What time is it?" her voice floated out.

"Lunchtime," he returned unhelpfully.

Silence again for a moment, and then she shimmied out to greet him. "Sorry...," she apologized for making him wait.

"It's OK. Come on, let's go," and he stood up, bouncing on his toes.

"Go where?"

"For a walk."

"I thought you said it was lunchtime?" and as she stood up slowly, she stretched and worked out a few of the kinks that had set in after hours on the ground.

"It is," and he just gave her a small mysterious smile.

"Back at camp?" she asked while looking around for any clues as to what he was up to.

"Nope. A picnic," he unveiled his idea with that same small smile.

"Ah, a picnic," and she gave him a return smile. "Sounds like a plan."

"I thought so," and he looked smug and she shook her head with amusement.

"Does this plan have details?" she inquired.

"Well, it's fairly loosely organized into Hike Out, Eat Lunch and Hike Back."

"Simple but effective."

"The best kinds of plans always are."

"Is there a Plan B?"

"If necessary."

"Do I get to know what it is?"

"It's on a need-to-know basis."

"And I don't need to know?"

"Actually, since I came up with Plan A, I figured that Plan B was your responsibility."

"Ah, kinda nice to know that ahead of time, so that I can actually have a Plan B... planned."

"Sorry, didn't come up with the Plan A until a half-hour or so."

"Can I change the subject?" she asked hopefully.

"If you insist, but I was just getting started," he mock-complained.

"That's what I was afraid of," she retorted as they walked along the same route that they had the previous day.

"Not enjoying the witty repartee?" he widened his eyes in mock horror.

"Just ready for a change," and then she quickly continued, "Like what we were talking about yesterday."

"Hockey?" and he waggled his eyebrows appreciatively.

"I was thinking more along the lines of why you chose the Air Force for a career," she returned conversationally.

"Hmmm... I think that you still have to tell me something first," he countered as they walked along between the trees.

"Not much left to tell, Jack," she shrugged. "Like I said yesterday, you know all of the major highlights."

"Then tell me some minor highlights," he pursued.

"Minor highlights? Isn't that almost an oxymoron?" she prevaricated.

"Don't change the subject – which is you, by the way," he looked at her knowingly and she sighed in resignation.

Silence passed between them.

"I'm waiting."

"Thinking," she returned.

"Come on, it can't be that hard. First crush, first boyfriend, first time you blew the roof off of the garage with some science experiment...," he suggested playfully.

"How did you know that I blew the roof off the garage more than once?" she asked with surprise.

"You didn't!" he returned with surprise of his own.

"No, I didn't."

"What?"

She just stared at him with a smug smile.

"It's funnier when I do that sort of thing you know," he chided.

"That's just because I'm still learning," she warned him with the same smug smile.

"So, did you blow the roof off the garage... once?" he asked, almost hopefully and she rolled her eyes.

"No," she sighed good-naturedly. "Although by the time I was nine I was taking apart almost anything mechanical or electronic. Drove my parents nuts." And for the rest of their half-hour walk, she regaled him with stories of her youth before she learned to curb her curiosity enough to remember to ask permission before disassembling family appliances and equipment.

- - - - - -

Packing up from their lunch stop, Jack assessed the sky, "Looks like that rain could come anytime."

She joined his perusal of the strengthening breeze and the increasing cloud cover, "It's a good thing that we'll be able to keep the DHD covered."

Taking one last look around to make sure that they hadn't left anything behind, they turned their attention to the walk back to the 'Gate.

"So, Jack?"

"Mmmm?"

"Any chance of my learning how and why you joined the Air Force?"

"Persistent aren't you?"

"Yes, it helps me problem-solve," she replied with a shrug. "But if you'd rather talk about something else, it's ok with me."

He glanced over at her before turning his eyes back to the ground ahead of them. "No, it's ok. I just haven't had a lot of folks around in the past 10 years or so who were interested in casual conversation about things like why I joined the Air Force or why I did anything so long ago."

"If it's too personal or private-," she started to qualify,

But he interrupted with, "I joined the Air Force to fly planes."

She raised her eyebrows at the brevity and he grinned.

"My uncle had a single-prop fixed-wing that he taught me to fly when I was just fourteen. Illegal, yes, as I was too young and didn't have a license, but he owned a large ranch in the outbacks of Minnesota and the only restriction was that I had to stay over his land. Well, that and no night flying and no flying when the vis was less than 50 miles or the ceiling was less than 10,000 feet," he elaborated.

"Basically clear skies on sunny days," Sam interpreted.

"Yeah, he may have been willing to let me fly his old plane, but he wasn't a total fool!" With his eyes now on the past, he continued, "I loved flying. It was freedom with an incredible adrenaline rush at the same time!"

She matched his smile, "Flying still holds a unique magic for me that even the Stargate hasn't matched. I can see and understand the laws of physics that govern the flight of an aircraft... but it still seems like flying should somehow be violating those very laws...," and he could hear the wonder in her voice.

"When did you first get to fly a plane?"

"I was sixteen. Lessons at a local air field. It was something that I could share with my Dad during the years after Mom died," she returned wistfully. "We didn't talk a lot... or share our feelings much... but flying was something that Dad and I could just go and do... we didn't have to talk. We could just fly around and...," she paused. "It was just special," she finished.

"Special. That it was," he echoed her words.

"So... the Air Force?" she prompted.

"Right. Well, the prop plane was cool... but then I wanted to fly jets. Faster, higher... and just faster! The Air Force seemed like the way to go, so I joined ROTC in high school and then went to the Academy right after graduation," he summarized economically. "And after flight school, all I wanted to do was join the guys breaking the records. Faster, higher, faster," he repeated.

"Ah, the life of the test pilot," she interpreted astutely.

"The life of the young and reckless," he corrected as he thought back to the brash young man that he'd been. Glancing over at her, he continued, "So did I answer your questions about how and why Jack O'Neill joined the Air Force?"

"Yes, thanks," she returned softly.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a mock suspicion which earned him a quizzical expression from her. "Because I could make up something more exciting... something like a misspent youth that forced me to go into the service to derail a life otherwise destined for anti-establishment types of behavior..."

"Well, I can't say that would have surprised me if something like that had been true," she replied in kind to his playful tone. "So what did you get to test fly?"

And he spent the rest of their walk back to the 'Gate sharing stories of his early flying days. Days and memories that he hadn't thought about in over a decade. With her background as a fellow Air Force pilot, she understood and empathized with aspects and issues that no one else in his family could even relate to. Even his dear old, now-departed, uncle.

- - - - -

"Your turn."

"My turn to what?"

"Your turn to tell me something about you," he replied as they sat around the campfire after dinner. The complete cloud cover was preventing any stargazing or star-charting. "You know... that first crush, first real boyfriend," he repeated his suggestions from earlier in the day.

A pensive look settled over her face as she struggled to figure out something that she was willing to share without too much embarrassment. The first crush and first boyfriend were quickly dismissed from her choices.

Sensing her dilemma, he tried a few suggestions along a different track, "Or something like how you got into motorcycles," and he knew he'd hit on something when her face lit up with a grin.

"Motorcycles were... just... fun," she tried to explain. "I had a friend, James, whose family owned a couple of bikes and he taught me how to ride when I was 15. Dad was furious," and she was smiling ruefully at the memories. "But I think it made it easier for him to let me take flying lessons at 16. As a pilot himself, he saw planes as a lot safer than motorcycles. He seemed to figure that if I was concentrating on flying then I wouldn't have much time to spend on motorcycles."

"Did it work?" Jack asked.

"Somewhat," she replied with a small smile. "But there was still plenty of time to go out with James for quick spins on the bikes. Just didn't tell Dad," she admitted with a wag of the eyebrows.

"So you got into motorcycles because they were fun?" he summarized.

"_Real_ fun," she corrected with a grin.

"I stand corrected. You got into motorcycles because they were _real_ fun," he restated.

"Yup," she replied. "Sorry the story wasn't more exciting," she echoed his words from this afternoon. "I suppose you were thinking it was something like a tattooed, much older boyfriend who tried to sway me to his angry, anti-establishment lifestyle to the horror of my father?" she asked and again matched his playful tenor.

"I just can't picture you as a tattooed biker-chick, Sam," he sent back.

"Why not?" she asked curiously.

"Why not?!" he echoed.

"Yeah, why couldn't I have been a rebellious teenager with a biker boyfriend?"

"Because that's just not you. You are just too... polite... to have been that kind of rebellious teenager. That sort of behavior is much more believable for someone like me," he replied. "Tell me I'm wrong," he dared her and she just narrowed her eyes at him a bit before conceding his point.

"Just riding motorcycles, learning to fly and studying seemed like enough to do. Mark rebelled enough for the both of us anyway," she commented with a faraway look in her eyes.

"So where did the urge to be an astronaut come from?" he asked curiously.

"Don't all kids want to be an astronaut?" she questioned with another small smile.

"I didn't," he sent back.

"Why not?"

"Why not?" he repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, most kids seem to think that becoming an astronaut is the coolest goal, so why didn't you?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I wasn't interested in science-,"

"Nah!" she interjected gleefully.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "I just wanted to go-," "Fast!" she chimed in with him and he just nodded at her with a rueful grin. "Can I continue?" he pretended to be a little put-out by her comments, but she could still see his grin.

She nodded, but didn't wipe the grin off of her own face.

"I wanted to go fast," and he glared at her to stop any comments and she affected a look of innocence, "and I wanted to fly aerial dogfights. Long flights through empty space as an astronaut? Didn't seem exciting enough, sorry," he admitted and then tried to look a bit apologetic at dissing her heart's ambition.

"Guess the astronaut-types aren't quite the same type of adrenaline junkies as the Top-Gun-Test-Pilot types," she offered teasingly.

"Well now, let's see... You ride motorcycles, fly jets and X302s, not to mention scoot across the galaxy through inter-dimensional wormholes..., oh, and don't let me forget that little Non-Parrot-Race junket around the galaxy with Warren... flying into a sun amongst other things... Sounds like an adrenaline junkie to me!" he retorted.

"It was the Loop of Kon Garat with Warrick," she corrected automatically with another small grin.

"Parrot-Garat... Warrick-Warren... potayto-potahto...," he sing-songed. "You can't avoid my point – you're an adrenaline junkie yourself, admit it!"

She widened her eyes a bit and shrugged, "An astrophysicist's gotta have a _little_ fun."

He snorted in response to that.

"Especially a _theoretical_ astrophysicist," and she smiled into the campfire.

"You always say that you have 'fun' with your doohickeys and computer work and research," he accused.

"They are fun, Jack," she smiled softly, "but sometimes, I just... need to feel... real... to just _feel_...," pausing she glanced up at him, "and it often seems to translate into... a need for speed," she admitted self-deprecatingly.

"You don't have to apologize to me...- remember I was a crazy test pilot," he reminded her of his own risky youth.

"Right," she agreed with a smile at their shared lust for riding the edge.

"And the whole astronaut-as-a career-thingy?" he returned to his earlier question.

She studied the flames for a bit while considering her answer. "I'm not sure if I can put it into words...," she began, "I remember being in the library in grammar school-,"

"You went to the library in grammar school? _Willingly_?!" and he played up an astonished tone.

"Yes Jack, they don't have minimum height requirement for entrance to the library," she returned with an amused smile.

"So what does the library have to do with your wanting to become an astronaut?"

"I was getting there...?" she queried his intentions to let her continue.

"Oh then, please continue," he replied innocently.

"So...I was in the library... and I saw that some of the books had little rocket stickers on the spines... turns out those were the science fiction books for kids. Once I discovered those, I read every one that the library had. In my imagination I traveled to all sorts of alien worlds with all types of alien life and civilizations," and she paused and looked over at him. "Did you ever read much science fiction?"

"Not much... or any," he admitted. "Hockey...," and that was explanation enough.

"Right," and she gave him a small smile before turning her gaze back to the flames. "Well, I was also fascinated with how things worked-," "No!" he interjected and she ignored him, "I had been taking everything apart... eventually Mom and Dad enrolled me in some Engineering courses... I think they just wanted to save the household appliances," she confessed. "Taking those courses, along with some Physics and Calculus courses... and I don't know... all that Sci Fi space travel... just seemed possible... like I just might be able to go to some of those places... out there...," and she looked up at the cloud-covered sky. "As I got older, I reset my sights on NASA and was just hoping for a trip in the shuttle, or a walk on the Moon... or if I got really lucky... a trip to Mars...," and she turned her gaze back down to the fire.

He didn't interrupt, he just watched and listened.

"And now I've walked on dozens and dozens of alien planets... and several moons... although I never did get to walk on the Moon or Mars!" but then she hastened to add, "Not that I'm complaining mind you, I know how lucky I've been."

"Hence the occasional spin around a planet or two in the X-302," he supplied warmly.

"Hence the occasional spin," she admitted softly with that small, shy smile again.

A few moments of silence passed as the two watched the dancing flames. The only significant sounds coming from the occasional snapping and cracking of the burning wood.

"Well, I think I'm going to turn in," and she stood up before he could take the conversation any further for the evening.

"Sounds like a good idea," he agreed, although he was reluctant to let go of their conversation. Realizing, however, that there were many days ahead for future chats and discussions, he moved to start putting out the fire while she began policing the camp area for any equipment or food stores that hadn't been stowed away for the night yet.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)

Sam's 'need for speed' is from the SciFi Channel's Official Stargate SG-1 Episode summary for Episode 708 at www_dot_scifi_dot_com/stargate/episodes/season7/0708/ - just replace the _dot_s with periods.

The comments about Sam's 9-year-old 'year of technological disassemblage' refer to my fanfic 'Nine'.

The comments about 'the spin around a planet or two in the X-302' refer to my fanfic 'Come Fly With Me'.

- - -


	30. A Cough

"_I wanted to go fast," and he glared at her to stop any comments and she affected a look of innocence, "and I wanted to fly aerial dogfights. Long flights through empty space as an astronaut? Didn't seem exciting enough, sorry," he admitted and then tried to look a bit apologetic at dissing her heart's ambition._

"_Guess the astronaut-types aren't quite the same type of adrenaline junkies as the Top-Gun-Test-Pilot types," she offered teasingly._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 30: A COUGH**

- - -

Sam got in three full days of work on the DHD before it started raining.

And then it rained... and rained and rained.  
For days.  
They spent days trapped in the tent and under their shelter.

The temperature stayed just above freezing during the day and dipped just below freezing at night. Mostly... it rained... but occasionally it sleeted... with one short hailstorm for variety.

They spent the hours talking and playing with a deck of cards found in the supplies... and trying to stay warm and dry.

* * *

Jack woke up slowly.  
Blinking a few times to clear his bleary eyes.

The soft gray light told him that it was probably just after dawn.

He was lying on his side and facing the wall of the tent. Deciding to roll onto his back so that he could take a quick look at his companion, he started to move- only to stop immediately as he felt something against his back. As he continued to wake up, he smiled as he realized that she was snugged up against him. The nights had been getting progressively colder, just a degree or so over other night, but it was now dropping below freezing around 4am each morning. Any snow or ice that fell was always quickly melted by the subsequent rain as the morning progressed.

They were each in their own sleeping bags and they had the extra sleeping bags pulled over the top for an added layer. He was reasonably snug and warm in his bag. Toasty even, and he usually didn't need the second sleeping bag.

She hadn't complained about the cold nights since they'd returned to their basecamp, but her presence against his back told him that she was cold enough that it had probably woken her up... and rather than waking him, she'd just scrunched over and up against him. And it had apparently worked, because the pattern of her breaths told him that she was sound asleep.

Deciding not to move for awhile, he just let his thoughts drift back over the past few weeks. The camp they'd built, the native foods they were learning, the exploratory treks, the lake... _his_ lake... her current work with the DHD... stargazing... and their talks...

Of all the things that they'd done over the past month, their talks were the most astonishing for him. They were talking casually and easily with each other. They'd each been able to hang onto a little humor, which showed itself in some teasing and light banter. But they were also... just talking... about stuff... inconsequential stuff... and personal stuff... sharing their histories...

And then it hit him.

They were becoming friends.

Not just comrades.  
Not the type of 'I'd-take-a-bullet-for-you' loyalty that comes from fellow soldiers.  
Not just comrades who shared a beer and told tall tales with a group of other soldiers.

No, they were now becoming social friends.  
They weren't just sharing or comparing war stories.  
They were sharing personal stories... and simply enjoying each other's company.

He'd discovered that she had a wicked sense of humor... that was completely hidden under the role of Sam Carter, Air Force Officer. He had a feeling that she'd shared her 'other sides' with Janet and Cassie... and the occasional date... and, of course, Pete.

Shaking himself from that train of thought, he pulled himself back to the idea of he and Sam as friends. He knew that she'd been astonished to discover that he could and would listen to her technobabble. And even enjoy some of it.

Friends. That word encompassed so much and yet, at the same time, didn't say enough. They'd each sacrifice their life for the other. He knew that without a doubt. They'd each hurt horribly if the other were injured or killed. He knew that they had something beyond the deep comradeship of fellow soldiers. Unfortunately, what they had was unquantifiable... and exploration of possibilities... always led to the problem of military regs and their life in the same line of command.

But now they were friends.

Not lovers... no they weren't warming each other each night with sex.

They were friends.

He thought about it carefully and realized that he didn't have many friends that weren't fellow soldiers or comrades in arms. And he knew that she was in much the same position. They'd each dated outside the military over the years, but after the trials of the years passed... the two of them were still... single...unmarried.

What was Sam Carter to him?  
A brilliant mind.  
An excellent officer.  
A soldier with heart.  
A comrade that he'd march into a hailstorm of bullets for.

Who was Sam Carter to him?  
Someone he wanted to wrap his arms around and protect.  
Someone he loved.

A friend.

- - - - - - - -

She moved a little against him and he waited.

"Good morning," he spoke quietly.

"Morning," her response was thick with sleep.

Turning over so he could see her, "It's getting cold enough every night, I think we need to figure out some sleeping arrangements that allow us to keep a little warmer," he suggested.

She blushed, knowing full well that he was sufficiently warm at night. "You'll be on the losing side of that," she warned.

"We'll just have to make sure that you get something hot into you before bed. Get you warm and keep you that way," he returned.

She glanced away, still embarrassed, "Still, I'm going to be sucking the heat away from you."

"I think I can handle hot-water-bottle duties," he sent back.

Sighing, "I really have been trying to eat more."

"I know, we both have," he commiserated. They'd both been eating more than they usually did and yet they were only just maintaining their weight. Neither of them had much body fat left for insulation.

"Look, we don't have any electric blankets, so you're just going to have to get by with me," he joked and received a small smile for a reply.

"Well, I guess it could be worse," she admitted.

He just raised his eyes questioningly. "How so?"

"Well, if I were stranded here with Doctor Westing," she offered with a look of amusement at the image of being stranded here with the emaciated-looking historian.

"You'd both freeze to death," Jack returned with finality.

She looked like she was going to object, but then she grimaced and conceded, "You're probably right."

"So... tonight, we rearrange things?" he asked and she looked back at him, considering the options, and then nodded with the return of that touch of embarrassment. "Good! That's settled. Now, how about we scare up some breakfast?"

- - - - - - - -

Sam watched him carefully over the fire. He'd seemed fine this morning, but as the day had evolved he'd grown progressively crankier and shorter with his responses. There had been little if any real dialogue all day. Conversation had been limited to essential comments and requests.

She hadn't figured out what was wrong yet. She wondered if it had something to do with their short conversation this morning in the tent. Was he regretting his offer to sleep together for the warmth? Because she would deal with the cold on her own if she had to.

_Cough._

And her head shot up and she pinned him with her eyes.

_Cough._

He tried to stifle it, but there was little other noise in or around their camp.

_Cough, cough. _And now he looked pissed. And he wouldn't look at her.

"Jack?"

"What?" he managed to grate out.

_Cough._ Damn!

She got up and went over to the supplies. Returning, she placed the back of her hand on his forehead and he jerked away with a growl of complaint, "Sorry," she apologized and then held a thermometer from the medkit in front of him. "This is more accurate anyway," and she slipped it out of its case and offered it to him.

He just glared at her, "I'm fine!"

"Then this won't be a big deal, will it?" she challenged.

_Cough. Cough._ He tried to swallow them, but he couldn't. Sighing in defeat, he reluctantly took the thermometer and placed it in his mouth – and then gave her a dirty look for good measure.

She winced apologetically and then sat down beside him. She had a dozen questions she wanted to ask, but she knew better than to give him a reason to spit the thermometer out.

So they both watched the fire in silence until the little instrument beeped. She reached for it but he turned away, pulled it out and looked at the results without letting her see the display. "Normal, I told you I was fine," he stated.

"Let me see it, Jack," she spoke quietly but insistently.

He stared at the fire, "I said I was fine."

"If you wait any longer, I'll just make you retake the reading," she threatened.

"Make me? How?" he sent back crankily.

"Jack, it's only the two of us here," she reminded him. "You need to let me help. I promise I won't over-coddle you, but I need to know what's going on."

He glared at her for another few moments before his expression finally softened, "What if I want to be coddled?" he asked impudently.

As it was the closest he'd gotten to humor since before breakfast, she gave him a small smile and pointed at the thermometer.

101.5 degrees! Argh!

_Cough, cough, cough._ He was still trying to swallow and suppress them, but he couldn't stop them.

"Allright, into bed with you," she directed as she stood up.

"What happened to no molly-coddling?" he asked reprovingly.

"This isn't molly-coddling, it's prudent. You're sick and on an alien world away from any medical help or professionals. You need to stay warm, dry and well-hydrated," she stated firmly.

"Sounds suspiciously like molly-coddling if you ask me," he challenged.

"Jack, Get your butt up off the ground and into that tent and into bed. Now!" and her tone left no room for argument.

"OK, so that's _not_ what I'd call molly-coddling," he agreed with a small look of amusement as he stood up stiffly.

"Good. Now- Move It Airman," and she set up a pot to boil some water for some hot tea.

"Yes ma'am," he mocked while obediently making his way to the tent where she could here him muttering something about Power Complexes.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	31. Fever

Cough. Cough. _He tried to swallow them, but he couldn't. Sighing in defeat, he reluctantly took the thermometer and placed it in his mouth._

_101.5 degrees! Argh!_

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 31: FEVER**

- - -

She watched over him for the next couple of days as the cold (or flu or alien bug or whatever it was) got progressively worse. His fever peaked at 102, but then backed down to 101 and then 100, where it seemed to level off a bit. In addition to aspirin and acetaminophen (Tylenol), she was giving him a course of antibiotics that had been in the medical supplies, but she had little hope that the medication was going to have any effect. Antibiotics did not address colds, flus and/or alien bugs.

They went ahead with the new sleeping arrangements... he was warmer than normal, but her lower temperature seemed to soothe him a bit. Unfortunately, she got little sleep as he coughed and tossed and turned.

The rain occasionally backed off to a light drizzle and at other times froze into sleet or hail. Sam waited for the periods when the intensity slacked off to go out and hunt or forage.

They'd tried playing cards to pass the time, but he couldn't concentrate, so they'd mostly just talked. Sharing tales of their flight days with each other. Intermixed with stories from their childhoods.

She'd shared some stories of some of the few family outings that they'd had before her mother died. He shared some stories of summers on his uncle's ranch in Minnesota. His stories were wracked with coughs, however, and he much preferred simply listening to her talk.

This afternoon, Sam had done most of the talking... sharing tales of a few times spent camping with Janet and Cassie... about a time that she'd taken a nasty spill on her friend's motorcycle and then had to spend three weeks hiding the bruises and abrasions from her father... about a time that she'd tried to convince her Dad that a stray dog should become the family pet... about a time when she tried to rewire the house lights...

"OK, it's your turn Jack," she informed him, "I haven't talked this much about myself since I was ten! Time to hear a little more about young Jack O'Neill," she prompted.

"But I'm -cough-cough- sick," he mugged up some fake coughs and tried to look pitiful.

"You haven't coughed in hours and I've been doing the entertaining for most of the past two days... so it's your turn now. Just something... anything... so I don't have to talk about me anymore," she insisted.

"I was enjoying it," he grinned.

"Great!" she muttered theatrically. "But it still doesn't get you off the hook."  
  
"What do you want to hear? More hockey?" he asked hopefully.

"Errr...no... How about... How about why you switched from the active pilot's rotation to special ops?" she asked curiously. "Special ops don't seem so... 'faster, higher, faster'," and she grinned as she repeated his words from a few days ago.

He chuckled, "No they're not...," and he glanced over at her. "Allright, but after I tell you how I left the flightline for special ops... you have to tell me how you left the flightline... for a research position in Indiana!" And he waited expectantly.

But she just smiled ruefully, "Can't do that Jack, and you know it. Classified. Sorry," she apologized and then just waited silently to see where he was going next.

"Right...," he sighed in defeat.

"So, was your switch from flight to special ops Classified?" she asked.

"No..., Oh.. allright," he relented and she settled back with a satisfied grin. "Sam, I will figure it out eventually, you know," he warned her with a smile.

"Perhaps," she allowed and a faint wistful look passed over her face, but it was rapidly replaced with curiosity, "OK, so how did you get into Special Ops?"

Shaking his head at her, he started, "Well, I was approaching the ripe old age of 30-,"

"-Oooh! Old!" she inserted playfully.

"Do you want to hear this or not?"

"No, I mean yes, please continue," she smiled with that contrived look of innocence.

"Well, I was approaching the ripe old age of 30... and I was assigned a flight instructor's billet. Tried again and again to get it changed back to Test Flights or Basic Flight Operations, but you know the military: 'We Decide Where You Are Needed Most'... I felt like I was drowning in the mundane. Going nowhere. And it was especially difficult after the rush of being a test pilot."

She didn't interrupt, but just nodded her head sympathetically.

"A couple of my friends who'd graduated from the Academy with me, well, they kept talking about going for Special Forces certifications. When I'd originally joined the Air Force, I hadn't even thought about anything like that. All I'd wanted to do was fly."

"Faster, higher, faster," she smiled affectionately as she said it.

"Yeah...," he returned the smile a bit shyly. "After being stuck as an instructor for ten months however, I was chomping at the chance to get out and do something. Anything exciting... So I joined my old classmates and we submitted applications for every special training course we could find. Classes in demolition, parachuting, escape and evade, Pararescue, Combat Control, Combat Weather and Support,... we applied for cross-disciplinary programs with the Airborne Special Forces, Rangers, the Green Berets, the Navy Seals – although I think they probably just laughed at the applications from 'us air force pilots'."

"Eventually a couple of us were accepted. Airborne Special Forces. I threw myself into it. Parachuting, marksmanship, demolitions, whatever they threw at us. I ate it up. I wasn't the fastest, or the strongest, but I was one of the best all-around. All those years as a jet pilot had given me a split-second situational awareness that allowed me a bit more time to think about my decisions. When most of the others were still trying to assimilate data, I could be thinking though the options," he paused here for a moment as his memories floated before him.

"Did you miss the flying?" she asked curiously.

"Yes... and no," he admitted. "They kept us so busy... and there was so much to learn... and don't forget, I was a few years older than the average age of the others going through the courses," he pointed out.

"Never seems to slow you down," she returned with a grin.

"Are you saying that I'm old?"

"No you did," she sent back.

"No, I said I was older than the average age of the others going through the course," he stated carefully while watching her face.

"So what happened next," she decided to ignore his attempts to bait her into self-incrimination.

"Next..., we graduated. Top honors," and he pointed at himself.

"Wouldn't expect anything else," she returned, still grinning.

"Yeah, well, enough of that," he muttered. "After graduation, they broke us into teams and we went where they sent us. Iran and Iraq, mostly," and here his voice trailed off at some of the not-so-pleasant memories.

She didn't say anything, she just let him have a few moments to himself with his memories.

Noticing her somber expression, he spoke up again, "Not all of the missions were horrible, you know. Sometimes no one got killed... on either side... sometimes, we just went in for intel. Sometimes we went in to pull out a downed pilot... or a defector... sometimes we just went in to blow something up... and sometimes there wasn't any collateral damage. It wasn't common, but it did happen."

"Those were the missions that seemed closest to the training exercises. When no one died. Then it could come the closest to an exercise in how good we were... almost a game of striving for excellence."

"But over the years, the gritty reality of it all... the missions, the deaths – on both sides... the lives taken... the friends and comrades lost... the time trapped behind enemy lines... it all added up and started to change me... I didn't even see it at first. But Sarah did. She asked me to transfer out. But I couldn't. We were at war. I was good at what I did, and I was needed. But she was right... it was changing me. I became closed off... harder. I took refuge in the Special Ops persona. It was the only way to deal with what we did. With the job we had to perform."

He glanced over at Sam to see nothing but acceptance of who he was.  
No condemnation.

"That Iraqi prison almost did me in. They almost had me. And when I got out, I wanted nothing more than to return and make them pay. Make them pay for what they'd done to me and every other prisoner in that hell-hole," he paused for a breath and then continued, "Sarah was there for me when I got back. She was there for me throughout the rehab and the nightmares. She begged me not to go back. But I had to. I closed myself off and fueled my recovery with the objective of being in better shape than I had been when I was 25."

"I made it... all the way back to active duty. All the way back to Black Ops. Sarah threatened to leave, but then we found out she was pregnant... so she stayed... and I think she was still hoping that I'd give it up and come back to what I'd been years before."

Silence descended in the tent after his soliloquy.

And then Sam spoke up, "I didn't mean to dredge up all of this for you, Jack," she apologized.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. All you did was ask how I went from pilot to Special Ops... I didn't have to give you all the rest of that," he replied quietly.

"No apology necessary... and you can talk about whatever you want. To be honest, I'm flattered that you were willing to tell me about... all of that," and she met his eyes and then looked down. "Although I know there's not exactly a lot of choices of people for you to talk to here," and she winced a bit.

"Sam, even on Earth, with thousands of people around, the only person I've ever opened up to like that was Daniel... and even then... I didn't say very much," he explained. "Like I said a week or so ago... My life before the SGC had become... like the life of another person. Me, but a different me. A different life. And, by not talking about it with anyone, I was able to keep the two lives separate and distinct."

"But it all adds up to make who you are now," she pointed out softly.

"Yeah, it does," he admitted. "I'll always have some of that reckless test pilot in me...and I'll always have some of that cold Black Ops officer in me... Sarah and Charlie are part of who I am...and it all made me that guy who could somehow take on the idea of planet hopping though an intra-galactic wormhole," and he finished with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Occasionally inter-galactic," she reminded him.

"What?"

"Inter-galactic... as opposed to intra-galactic..."

"Did I get it wrong?"

"No... it's almost always intra-galactic... except when you added that 8th chevron to go and visit the Asgard for the first time... or when the Atlantis crew headed off to the Pegasus galaxy...," and then her voice trailed off as she looked up to see him watching her with amusement. "You don't care, right?"

"Mmmm...," and he shrugged while his smile spread a little wider and then he yawned.

"OK, enough for now, you need to get some sleep," and she helped him resituate the bedding materials so that he could lie down more comfortably.

Yawning again and with his eyes half-shut, "I'm surprised you haven't been gloating a little."

"What about?" she returned with a puzzled look.

"Because I kept pushing you to eat so that you wouldn't get sick... and then I'm the one who got sick," he sent back thickly as sleep started to take hold.

"Oh that...," and she allowed a small smile, "I'm just waiting until you are feeling better. It doesn't seem quite fair to kick a guy when he's down," she explained.

"Ah... I knew there was a catch," and he drifted off to sleep with a small smile of his own.

- - - - - -

Later that night, she watched him toss and turn as his mind played feverish nightmares and he mumbled and muttered things she couldn't quite make out, Earlier that evening, she'd thought he was getting better, but now he appeared worse than ever. Now, she watched helplessly as the fever wracked his body and nightmares assailed his mind.

"Rgfth... get out..., Down, Get Down!..." followed by "No!," and then his mutterings became less clear again.

"Jack it's ok, you're allright," she tried speaking softly in the hopes that it would provide some soothing quality, but he didn't appear to hear her at all as he kept moaning and twisting.

Moving in closer to him, she rested a hand on his arm in an attempt to lend comfort. Reaching over, she picked up a bandana and gently wiped the sweat from his face. He quieted just a little, but was still twitching and mumbling incoherently. Laying her head on his shoulder, she rested her hand lightly on his chest, feeling for his heartbeat.

She concentrated on the rapid thump, thump, thump, thump vibrating against her hand.

She was so afraid that she was going to lose him.  
She knew that she wouldn't make it here alone if he died.  
Losing him would tear her apart.

Softly, but firmly, she spoke into the quiet night, "Jack O'Neill if you up and die on me here, I'm going to be so pissed at you. I'll find you on whatever plane of existence you go to... Ascended... or whatever... and then I'll proceed to kick your ass from one end of the galaxy to the other... with maybe a little_ inter_-galactic ass-kicking thrown in for good measure! It's one thing to wake up stranded here, just the two of us... it would be quite another for you to abandon me here... No One Gets Left Behind, Airman. No One. Just you try and leave me - I'll follow you just to kick your ass!"

She closed her eyes against the tears welling forth.  
He was too special to lose.  
He meant too much to her.

Her thoughts focused on the feel of his heartbeat under her hand.  
She wished she had the Goa'uld healing device.  
Whether it would be able to cure him of an infection or virus, she didn't know, but she could image the device in her hand and the warm glow reaching down and relieving his pain.

Fizzing.

Buzzing.

She opened her eyes and looked at her hand on his chest.  
Her hand was tingling... buzzing... with a prickly warm sensation...  
...and a soft green glow between her hand and his chest.  
It felt as if energy was flowing from her to him.  
Soothing him, healing him.

His feverish movements stilled, his breath evened out and he sighed with relief.

The tingling in her hand faded, along with the soft green glow.

Not moving, she felt his heartbeat through her palm.  
It was stronger and a little slower, closer to normal.

She lay her head back on his shoulder, keeping her hand on his chest.

She couldn't explain what had just happened and she wondered if she was dreaming or delusional. Her scientific mind groped for answers, but she was too tired. Whatever had happened, at least he was resting more easily now. The nightmares appeared to have faded a bit.

Without her conscious approval, her thoughts drifted to what his nightmares probably consisted of... his memories of those Black Ops days and the horrors that he'd had to bury in his heart. The look of pain in his feverish eyes brought back memories of his eyes that night at the Alpha Site. A feverish, almost manic, glittering. Eyes that looked out from a soul that had seen and done more than any one soul should ever have to.

Exhausted, she finally drifted off to sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - -

She was pinned by a heavy weight.

- - - - - - -

She struggled to move her arms and legs, but something held them down.

- - - - - - -

Eyes.  
Glittering.  
Smoldering.

- - - - - - -

Dark, heavy, oppressive.  
Hard to breathe.  
Trapped.

Fear built towards panic.

- - - - - - -

- - - - - - -

And then she awoke.  
Her mind tried to cast off the nightmare and grasped for reality.

- - - - - - -

Darkness above her.  
A weight on her, pinning her down.  
Suddenly claustrophobic, she tried to move, but found that she couldn't.

Hot darkness pushed down on her.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - -

Author's Note: I referenced the Gateworld Omnipedia for information on Jack O'Neill's backstory and timeline. Specifically, this is the meat of what info was available: "He was parachuting between the borders of Iran and Iraq in the 1980s and hit the ground hard. There was no rescue. Instead, he spent nine days making it out on his own, back into allied territory. Jack spent several years in a black-ops unit of the U.S. military, and was imprisoned in Iraq for four months after a mission under the command of Frank Cromwell went bad. With this in mind, it can be deduced that O'Neill married before 1988. He confirmed he and wife Sarah were together at the time of his imprisonment, since she was his primary motivation for escaping. Sometime after escaping the prison, Charlie O'Neill was conceived."


	32. Grassy Plains

_Every clearing was inspected thoroughly.  
__They scrutinized every rock outcropping that could possibly be a building or structure.  
__Two more small lakes were identified and inspected.  
__But they found nothing.  
__No signs of intelligent life.  
__No signs of General O'Neill or Colonel Carter.  
__No signs of Jack or Sam._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 32: GRASSY PLAINS**

- - -

Teal'c stood on a small rise while his eyes scanned the grassy plains.

To his right was the Stargate.  
To his left were Daniel Jackson and Doctor Rider.  
A few steps in front of him was Lieutenant Hailey.

This was the last of the alternate sites for the old Alpha Site.  
The last to be checked for any signs of O'Neill or Carter.

The Jaffa's keen eyes scrutinized the vista around them.

There were no signs of habitation within miles of the Stargate.  
A small creek in the distance was revealed by the stand of trees lining the water's course.

Lt. Hailey had stated that this region was reminiscent of the Great Plains of the American Midwest.

Everyone had noted the scarcity of trees.

As with the other potential candidates for the old Alpha Site, this one was apparently devoid of native intelligent life... or hostile indigenous life of any kind. As far as could be determined from the initial reconnaissance surveys.

And they all knew that things change over time.

They still had no answers as to how or why the DHD on that tree-filled planet, P7X-380, had been damaged. With no indications of intelligent life in the vicinity of that Stargate, and no time to investigate further, the notations on P7X-380 had been updated with the new observations... and a warning regarding the current difficulties for anyone attempting to gate off that world.

And now they would update the information on this planet, P01-692. The Lieutenant was taking digital video that would be added to the archives and Dr. Rider was taking samples of any notable vegetation while enlisting DanielJackson's assistance with her observations and records of the native wildlife.

Their brief excursions on each planet were yielding some useful information for the SGC... even if they had yet to find GeneralO'Neill or ColonelCarter.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

**- - - **

**Author's note:** In case anyone was wondering, P8X-539 (where Sam and Jack are) was an alternative for the _new_ Alpha Site (the one established after the old Alpha Site was destroyed in Season 7's 'Death Knell').

So... Daniel and Teal'c still have a long list of planets to explore... and somewhere on that list are the alternatives for the new Alpha Site... :)

**P7X-380** – an alternative, or candidate, for the _old_ Alpha Site; searched by Daniel and Teal'c by MALP and UAV in Chapters 24, 25 and 26

**P8X-539** – where Sam and Jack are now; this planet was a candidate for the _new_ Alpha Site

**Old Alpha Site** – can't find a citation of the letter/number designation for the old Alpha Site on the SciFi Channel's website; the old Alpha Site was the location for the Season 6 episode 'Allegiance', and the Season 7 episode 'Death Knell.'

**P4X-650** – the new Alpha Site, some 640 light-years from Earth _(information from the SciFi channel's official Stargate SG-1 website: Episode Summary Guide for Season 8's 'Covenant')._

- - -


	33. Subconscious

Author's Note: Nothing's ever easy...

- - -

_

* * *

_

- - -

And then she awoke.  
_Her mind tried to cast off the nightmare and grasped for reality.  
__Darkness above her.  
__A weight on her, pinning her down.  
__Suddenly claustrophobic, she tried to move, but found that she couldn't._

_Hot darkness pushed down on her._

- - -

**Ch 33: SUBCONSCIOUS**

- - -

--

Her mind still focusing, she realized that he was draped across her.  
His weight heavy on her chest. Restricting her ease of breath.

Trying to shift him off, her movements were immediately stilled by the layers of sleeping bags twisted around them.

And she was hot. For the first time in weeks, she was actually hot in the wee hours of the morning.

Taking a few slow breaths, she tried to get her rapid heartbeat to slow a bit.

Calming herself down so that she could think of how to extricate the two of them.

Because she needed to get out... now! The darkness, his weight, the heat and the difficulty breathing... She needed to get out now!

Moving slowly and carefully, she pulled at their covers while slipping out from under him. He groaned and shifted position. Scrambling out of the cover of the sleeping bags, the icy morning air hit her sweat-soaked body.

The instant cold and change of position made her dizzy for a moment. Stopping to regain a sense of balance, she then slowly moved over near the tent door and then slumped against a small stack of their gear.

She shuddered as images of that night at the new Alpha Site flashed before her.

He moaned again and then she could hear him moving around. "Sam?"

Not answering immediately, she groped around for where she thought she remembered leaving her flashlight. Her fingers bumped against the familiar plastic, and she quickly picked it up and turned it on, careful to keep it pointed away from his eyes. He was breathing hard and trying to look at her while squinting in the sudden light.

"Nightmare?" she softly broke the silence.

He looked up towards her voice and the flashlight. "...I remembered."

"Remembered what?" she asked carefully watching his every movement.

Trying to assess his condition.

He glanced around the tent, taking in the weird, harsh shadows created by the angle of her flashlight. "What are you doing over there in the freezing cold?

She didn't answer immediately, but looked down at the ground and then over at the opposite wall of the tent. "Nightmare," she finally admitted, her voice just above a whisper.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not... yet," and she wasn't looking at him straight on... just with her peripheral vision.

"Ohhkay... You gonna stay out there and freeze?"

She nodded jerkily and then added, "For the moment."

"Sam-,"

"I just need a few minutes, OK?" and then she offered softly, "Want to talk about yours?"

His breathing had calmed down to normal now but he was coughing a little. "It... it was from ...," he began and then he realized where she was in the tent... as far from him as she could get and still be right next to the door... as if she might need to escape. "Sam, did I do something in my sleep?"

She shook her head 'No', but then she brought her eyes up and met his and he saw the uncertainty in her eyes...

"Sam, I'd never hurt you," he said softly.

"Not knowingly," she qualified and he noticed that she didn't let down her guard or relax even slightly.

Regret and remorse washed over him. He could tell that something had shaken her to the core... something more than just a nightmare. "I'm sorry," he repeated what he'd said so many weeks ago.

She didn't answer, she just watched him, trying to appraise his condition. "How do you feel now?" she asked.

"Tired. Hot. Thirsty..," he answered and then shrugged.

"Canteen's over there," she gestured slightly behind him.

He looked around, spied the canteen and picked it up, "Thanks," and he slowly drank a few swallows. Spilling a little into his hand, he splashed it over his face and let it drip off onto his sweat-soaked sleeping bag.

"How's your head?" she continued.

"Bit thick," and he gave her a small smile but she didn't return it.

"Headache?" she specified.

"A little," he admitted.

"The medkit is over there," she pointed over to the other side of the tent.

He glanced back at her and then shuffled over and opened the kit. Pulling out a few acetaminophen, he swallowed them with another swig from the canteen. Looking back over at her, she was still silently watching him.

"You look like you're ready to vanish out that door," he observed critically.

"Yeah... when I woke up, I was feeling a bit claustrophobic... and...," she shrugged apologetically and he winced again. "I think you should take your temperature," and she gestured at the medkit again.

"Sam, what happened?" he asked her as he moved to dig out the thermometer.

Ignoring his question, "I'm going to get the fire going and some hot water boiling. The sun will be up soon," and she quickly escaped the tent.

Sitting back against one of the small piles of gear that they kept inside with them, he waited impatiently with the thermometer sticking out of his mouth. A few moments later and it beeped. Taking it out to read it, he looked up as she stuck her head back in, "What's it say?" she asked politely.

"99," and he gave her a small smile.

"Let's hope the fever has broken for good," she commented.

"Sam-," he attempted, but she interrupted.

"Breakfast will be ready in about 15 minutes," she sent to him as she ducked back out of the tent.

Sighing again, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

- - - - - - - -

A half-hour later and they were sitting on opposite sides of the fire. The rain had finally stopped and the skies were partially clear. The sunrise was gorgeous, but neither of them were looking at it.

"Sam-,"

"Jack, don't," she snapped.

"Don't... what? Talk?"

"Yes, don't talk!" she sent back angrily.

"Uh... I don't understa-," he attempted to get more information.

"Jack! Please! I'm just barely hanging on right now! I'm just this," and she held two finger tips about a half-inch apart, "this close to losing it!" At seeing his look of non-comprehension, she added, "Look, I thought I'd handled the whole 'Alien Influence' and stranded thing," and she waved at the campsite around them. "But I guess I haven't... quite... Dammit, Jack, I trust you more than just about anyone...," and she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth briefly, "I-," and words failed her.

He desperately wanted to go around the fire and hug her and hold her close and tell her that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. But that was a little difficult when he was the one she was afraid of.

"So what do we do?" he asked and he tasted the hopelessness in his voice.

"I just need a little time... it was a nightmare... it will fade... just... stop pushing...," and her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

A few moments of silence passed and then he ventured, "You know I was surprised at how well you handled it all that first day we woke up here. You were entitled to a little ranting and raving. Maybe sending a punch or two my way... Sam, it's OK, to be angry... it's human to be angry... You know it's not healthy to keep it all bottled up inside... Now, if we were back on the base, I'd send you to the gym for a workout and a session with the punching bag... but we don't have those...Would it help if you gave me a nice roundhouse?" he offered.

She looked up and quirked an eyebrow, "Don't tempt me," she warned him.

"Do you want to kick my ass? I deserve it, even if you won't have to chase me into the afterlife quite yet," he added.

"You heard that?"

"Yes."

"I thought you'd finally fallen asleep."

"Almost, but I heard you," and he gave her a small smile. "So do you still want to kick my ass?" he persisted.

"Yes, right now I'd love to kick your ass, allright?" and she stood up in frustration.

He stood up and stepped around the fire. She immediately stepped back and he stopped.

"Sam, if taking a few shots at me is going to help... then go ahead," he invited.

She just sighed and narrowed her eyes a little, "First, you're still sick and I know I'd feel guilty about it later. Second, we can't afford any unnecessary injuries. Who knows what's going to happen next?"

"When we get back then?"

"Oh yeah, when we get back, O'Neill, you're ass is _so_ mine. You won't even know what hit you!" and the glint in her eye told him that she was definitely _not_ joking.

He let a few moments of silence pass before asking, "So, what about today?"

She studied the fire for a moment. "I think I need a little time to think... and you should stay here and rest. I'm going to go and check on the 'Gate and the DHD shelter and then see if I can scare us up some something fresh for lunch. It'll give us both time to think."

"Radio checks every 15?" and she nodded her agreement.

- - - - - - -

Reaching the clearing with the alien Stargate, Sam stopped to make a quick check on the status of the DHD. Their small shelter had protected the damaged instrument and its internal workings from the elements. Walking over to the 'Gate, she inspected the alarm system that they'd jury-rigged. Satisfied that it was intact and in working order, she walked back to the steps leading up to the 'Gate.

Standing there for a few moments, she stared at the gigantic ring of naquadah.

The Gateway. The Portal. The Chappa'ai. The Stargate.

Setting a folded rainjacket on the top step, she sat down and stared out at the tableau before her. She let her eyes wander over the peaceful, fresh scene.

The trees, brush and grass... all wet from the past few days of rain.  
The sun rising higher in the sky and backlighting the drops of water.  
The fresh scent of newly washed air and vegetation.

The feelings from the nightmare dissipated as the sun continued to climb in the sky.  
The light chasing away the dark.  
The open air chasing away the oppressive claustrophobia.

She finally realized that she was... well... a bit pissed off at him.  
He _had_ stranded the two of them here.  
Alien influence or not.

And when he'd gotten sick, the stakes were raised further... he might leave her.  
And that pissed her off even more than just getting stranded here.  
For leaving her, she really would want to kick his ass!

And yet, her rational mind knew that she couldn't hold him responsible for his actions while under the influence of the Sandaran Vandi. But emotions were not rational.

She grinned at his offer to let her take a few punches at him. She _could_ grin about it now... an hour or so earlier though... she'd been sorely tempted to take him up on it.

She took in a long, slow breath.

She was conflicted.

She trusted Jack O'Neill with her life.  
They were stalwart comrades who'd die for each other.  
And they were now becoming friends.

They were each working hard at making this difficult situation work.  
Just the two of them here.

They hadn't had a serious argument yet.  
No major blowups.  
Yet.

They were both trying to be extremely considerate and careful.  
Maintaining that fragile balance.

He was a good man.

She knew that.

She let out another shaky breath.

She let herself remember that night at the new Alpha Site... and then waking up in the clearing... And then she thought about the nightmare she'd just had. After all that talk about his Black Ops days and watching him toss and turn feverishly... it was no wonder she'd had the nightmare that she did.

Calmly she made herself think it over.  
Bring the fear into the light.  
Think about it.  
Recognize it.

She wished she could talk to Janet about it.  
Or Daniel or Teal'c.

She needed someone as a sounding board.  
Someone to give her an objective viewpoint and opinion.

Turning to look up at the sky, "Janet, I don't know if you Ascended or not..., but if you did... and if you are watching us now... I have a sneaking suspicion that you just might be enjoying this!" she accused the scudding clouds with a small smile. "Here I am, stranded on a deserted planet, thousands of light years from Earth... with one Jack O'Neill!... yeah... you'd probably be laughing!"

"But after the snickering... and few suggestive innuendos... what would you really think? What are we supposed to do now?" she asked honestly.

No answer came... just a slight freshening of the breeze.

- - - -

She let a few moments of silence pass, and then she asked the breeze, "And what was with the tingling and glowing last night?" and she held up her hand and inspected it. No answers drifted down as she turned her hand around scrutinizing her palm, fingers and even the back of her hand. Everything looked normal. No unusual marks or blemishes.

"Was it real? ... Or was I dreaming?" she softly asked the air around her.

Only silence answered her again.

Sighing, "His fever seems to have broken... did I have anything to do with that?" she wondered with disbelief. "We've seen so many strange things over the years... is this something I can do because of the naquadah in my blood? Because of Niirti's machine? Or is it related to how he was changed by the download of the library of the Ancients'? Or something else?"

She sifted through possibilities in her mind. No answers came forward.

Her eyes wandered again over the vista before her.  
Quiet.  
Peaceful.

"Janet, this is exactly the type of thing I'd want to discuss with you. I'd trust you to think about it professionally while still being my friend... I miss you... and I hope that wherever you are, you are happy," she sent her soft words to join the gentle breeze.

And once again, her words were answered with silence and a slight quickening of the breeze.

- - - - - - -

Sam returned to camp to find Jack napping next to a smoldering fire of mostly ashes. He was wrapped in one of the sleeping bags and lying on one of the bedrolls from the tent. The mid-morning sun streamed through the clouds and trees creating a shifting milieu of slowly moving soft patches of light and shadow. Smiling softly, she quietly set down the two alien-rabbits that she'd zatted and then went about stoking the fire.

"Hey," he greeted her quietly.

"Hey back," she gave him a soft smile.

"Feeling any better?"

"Yeah... much better actually," she admitted.

"Good... I was worried," he confessed.

"I'm sorry I was so difficult this morning," she apologized.

"Sam, there's nothing to apologize for... you had a nightmare... and it's not like you don't deserve to blow off a little steam now and then," he added.

She nodded briefly and then, "It's just... the nightmare seemed so... real... and then when I woke up... it was like I was still in the nightmare... and it all got mixed up with your comments about your Black Ops days... and that night at the new Alpha Site... and I... just... got overwhelmed..."

"Sam-," he started, but she held up a hand gently to stop him.

"No let me finish," she asked quietly. "When I got to the 'Gate to look at the DHD, I spent a little time just thinking. Out in the open. Away from the confines of the tent. And the feelings from the nightmare faded more and more as the sun came out. Jack, I know that what happened that night at the Alpha Site would never have happened without the influence of the Vandi. I know that that wasn't you," and she paused and looked up at him, "To be honest, a part of me still wants to take a few swings at something, but I do trust you, Jack. I've trusted you for more than 8 years and I still trust you."

"I- I... don't know what to say," he was a bit embarrassed.

"You don't have to say anything... just... don't drink any more of that Vandi... or eat any alien cake...," and she gave him a knowing grin.

"So... no drink... no cake... no _cake_?" he repeated.

"No _alien_ cake," she qualified.

"Oh... I think I can do that," he shrugged and gave a small sheepish grin. "And if I do... then you have full permission to kick my ass," he added.

"Yes sir!" she returned enthusiastically.

"You don't have to sound quite so eager," he protested.

She shrugged, "It's been awhile since I've doled out a good ass-kicking..."

"Who and why?" he prompted.

"Ah-ah, that's a story for another time," she smiled and turned her attention to the zatted alien rabbits.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	34. Raptor 2

_She shrugged, "It's been awhile since I've doled out a good ass-kicking..."_

"_Who and why?" he prompted._

"_Ah-ah, that's a story for another time," she smiled and turned her attention to the zatted alien rabbits._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 34: RAPTOR 2**

- - -

--

"Aw c'mon, I'm bored!" he wheedled.

"Why don't you play a little solitaire?" she suggested.

"Played that. Bored with it," he decreed.

"How are you feeling?" she changed the topic.

"Better," he admitted.

"How so?" she prompted for more information.

"I can take deeper breaths, so I think the lungs have cleared at bit... and I can think more clearly...," he elaborated.

"You look like you're feeling better," she agreed. "Why don't you take your temperature while I finish preparing lunch and then we can play some cards," she suggested.

"Poker?" he asked hopefully.

She glanced over at him and rolled her eyes, "Fine, Poker," she agreed. "but none of that boring 5-Card Draw... something like 7-card Texas Hold-'Em... or Omaha... And we'll need something for chips...," and she immediately saw a small project that would occupy him for awhile.

Narrowing his eyes at her knowingly, he raised his eyebrows, "Trying to find something for me to do?"

"D'oh!" she sent back with just the right accent on the right syllable.

And that just caused his eyebrows to climb higher and his grin to spread wider.

- - - - - - - -

"Jack, I never asked you what your nightmare was about... do you want to talk about it?... Do you still remember it?" she interrupted his dismemberment of a fallen leaf. Lunch was long since over. Sam had spread their bedrolls and sleeping bags on tree branches for them to air out. They'd played cards for a couple of hours and were now simply lying out in the late afternoon sun.

"It wasn't a nightmare," he corrected. "It was a memory... I... remembered something."

"What did you remember?" she asked curiously.

"You said you'd kick my ass if I died and left you alone," he said softly and she winced.

"I thought you were asleep," she admitted and he nodded understandingly.

"You said No One Gets Left Behind and that dying was not an excuse... that you'd kick my ass across the galaxy and back," he expanded.

Grimacing, "Ouch! You really weren't asleep, were you?"

"Actually, I just about was... pretty much anyways," he qualified.

"So... the threat of a galaxy-wide, after-death ass-kicking got through the fever and gave you a nightmare?"

A small smile tickled the edges of his mouth, "Sort of."

"Sort of... what?"

"I remembered," he repeated vaguely.

She waited but when he didn't continue, "Remembered...?"

"Raptor 2."

She waited silently again.

"All that talk about my special ops days... it was all mishmashed in my dreams. Mixed in with weird pieces of our SGC missions. Weird missions that had all of us... you, me, Danny, Teal'c, Kawalsky, Ferretti, Cromwell, Maybourne..."

She winced, "I should never have asked you to tell me about why you went into Special Ops, I'm sorry, I-,"

"No, no, it was my choice to talk about it... and if we hadn't, I never would have put it together," and he met her gaze and held it. "All those dreams... or nightmares... with a different mix of players each time... a mix of old missions, recent missions and missions I've never been on. Teal'c was in Iraq... Kawalsky was with us when we fought Anubis... Jonas was on my team in Iran...My old life and my new one all mixed into one tossed salad of distorted memories."

"And then, one mission came back, clear as a bell. Without any distortions," and he was gazing off into the trees with a faraway look. "Kawalksy and I had been caught behind enemy lines in the Gulf War. I had taken a bullet in the side and another in the leg and could hardly walk. Charlie refused to leave me behind. I kept ordering him to leave me... and he kept shouting at me 'No One Gets Left Behind! And That Even Means Even You Asshole!'," and he grinned at the memory.

"And then Charlie started screaming that he saw a flight of American F-117 stealth fighters fly low just south of us. We were on strict radio silence, but Charlie knew that I wasn't going to make it. We'd already achieved our main objective and now all we had to do was get out. He took a chance... he dialed into an emergency frequency and called for help."

"We didn't hear anything in response, and Charlie just set the radio to the emergency beacon and started dragging my ass across that desert. We still had a 3-4 day walk, assuming that no one discovered us, before we reached the scheduled pick-up site. Charlie knew I wasn't going to make it, but he kept dragging me... calling me every name in the book while I kept ordering him to go on without me and bring help back."

"I finally convinced him that I stood a better chance if he went ahead and brought back help. He didn't want to do it, but he finally left me there. Hidden under some meager brush, with almost all of the water and food that we had. When he left, I figured that I was never going to see him, or anyone back home, again. I figured I was as good as dead."

"And then, I don't know how much time passed... but it was pitch black... and cold... and the radio started squawking. Seems that flight of 117's had reported the call for help they'd received. They'd been on a planned mission and couldn't break off just to check out what could be nothing more than a hoax. But they had reported it. And the right information got back to the folks in charge of _our_ operations. They knew it was us. And they dispatched a squad of jets to see if they could pinpoint our location."

He glanced over at her and she didn't say anything to break up his discourse, so he continued, "I was never so grateful to answer a radio call in my life. They had just pinpointed my location when they were engaged by enemy MIGs. I couldn't hear the pilots' frequency... I could just hear the sounds of the jet engines screaming back and forth above me. I saw three planes get hit and I had no idea if they were our guys or the enemies. Finally, the squad leader came back on the emergency frequency. They'd either downed or chased away the enemy ships. For now the sky over me was clear of all but friendlies."

"They stayed above me while we waited for the rescue chopper. Finally, the squad leader informed me that they were approaching Bingo Fuel and that they were going to have to RTB (Return To Base). The ETA on the chopper was sometime in the next hour."

"A few minutes after the air cover left, artillery shells started landing down around me. Apparently, the enemy had zeroed in on my location. And then salvation screamed down out of the sky in the form of one of our jets. It shot over just to the side of my position and dropped a load right on the enemy artillery battery. Took it out in one go."

- - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - -

_**Flashback**_

"Grounder 1, this is Raptor 2, are you still with us?" I'd never heard a sweeter sound.

"Abso-freakin-lutely, Raptor 2! I'm still here and I can't tell you how glad I am to hear you!"

"Glad to be of service, Grounder 1,"

"I thought you guys were Bingo fuel and had to RTB?" I asked my savior.

"My ship sips its fuel, so I decided to stick around a bit longer," came back at him.

"You decided? You're not going to get in trouble on my account are you?"

"Only if we don't haul your sorry ass out of there while you're still breathing, Grounder 1," came back the flippant reply and then there was a pause... and then, "Tally Ho, Grounder 1, I'm going to be busy for a few minutes with another of our MIG visitors... just sit tight - that chopper is on its way."

"Roger that, Raptor 2," he sent his best wishes chasing after that pilot up in the night sky.

A few minutes passed and then, "Still there Grounder 1?"

"Still here," he replied thickly, finding it harder and harder to think straight.

"Grounder 1, you're not going to have the audacity to up and die on me are you?"

"Trying not to," he mumbled into the radio.

"Listen up soldier, if you die on my now, I'll follow you into your afterlife just for the pleasure of kicking your ass for giving up on us!"

Silence.

"Grounder 1, do you copy?"

Silence again.

"Grounder 1, acknowledge!"

"Grounder 1 copies, Raptor 2," he managed to mumble while struggling for breath and fighting for consciousness.

"That's more like it, Grounder. Now stay with me. I don't want to have to kick your ass, but I will if you give up on me now, copy that?"

"Roger, Raptor 2... one ass-kicking if I die on you," he got that out fairly clearly.

"That's better, Grounder 1... and here's your ride, just in time..., so I'll just be moseying back in the direction of home base."

"Copy Raptor 2. Safe journey home - and thanks," he sent gratefully.

"Just don't up and die on the ride home or something equally stupid, Grounder 1. I'll find out about it and I'll still come and deliver that ass-kicking – I'm not one to renege on a threat – or a promise."

"Understood, Raptor 2," he sent back.

"See you stateside soldier, Raptor 2 out."

"Raptor 2, the beer's on me, Grounder 1 out."

- - -

"Grounder 1, this is Rescue Bird, come in,"

_**End Flashback**_

- - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - -

"They pulled my ass onto that chopper and we hauled out of there. Kawalsky was already on board. I passed out and I don't remember most of the flight. They shipped me home as soon as they had me stable and I didn't have several conscious hours in a row until several days had passed. When I was finally released from the infirmary, they allowed me to return home to spend time with Sarah and Charlie while I worked through rehab. Sarah and I had so much to talk about. She tried hard to get me to quit, but I just couldn't let go of it. We spent my leave working hard on our marriage."

"When I was finally declared fit for duty, I got orders to head back overseas and I thought Sarah was going to leave me right then and there. But she didn't. It was close, but she didn't. It wasn't the most pleasant of send-offs," he admitted regretfully.

"Once I was back overseas, I tried to find out where Raptor squad was stationed, but I couldn't get any information. I tried to find out the names of the pilots that night I was rescued, but I got nowhere. And then they kept us busy with a full mission schedule for the next couple of months."

"I never did have a chance to buy Raptor 2 that beer," and he let his voice trail off.

"Pretty detailed dream," she commented.

"It wasn't a dream, it was a memory," he stated with certainty. "I can't believe that I didn't put the pieces together before now," and his tone was one of disbelief. "I've stared at that 'Classified' notation in your file countless times – and the dates... but I never connected the dots..."

"There were no dots to connect," she stated.

"OK, it was a classified mission, we were all in enemy territory... but I was on that mission – why couldn't you tell _me_?" he demanded.

She didn't answer, so he continued, "Sam, you saved my life and yet... you're acting like you did something wrong... Hell! A little over 8-years ago, I was your new CO... and you'd _already_ saved my life...," and then he it hit him. That young Sam Carter had still felt the need to prove herself amongst the men. To stand on her own two feet, not on her father's shoulders... and not on her new CO's feeling of debt. He could still see her standing there in that briefing room in her immaculate dress blues.

"OK, so maybe you couldn't tell the Colonel that you met in that briefing room so many years ago... but why not after we got to know each other? I've asked you about that mission at least a half a dozen times!"

"More," she sighed but that was all she offered.

Deciding to try a new tack, he asked, "OK, just tell me why you were taken off active flight status and sent to some remote research lab in Podunk Indiana."

Nothing. She just stared into the forest.

"Sam, it doesn't make any sense, I figure that you disobeyed orders to stay behind and fly air cover for me, but there were mitigating circumstances... taking out that artillery battery undoubtedly saved my life. And both Kawalsky and I came home alive... I could see them giving you a formal reprimand for disobeying orders... maybe making it hard for you to get the next promotion... but they didn't do that... just a weird transfer to Remotesville, USA."

Silence answered him again.

"I'm not going to let this go," he warned her.

She looked over at him and then a small smile escaped, "Nah!"

"Hey, sarcasm is my shtick!" he complained with a small answering grin.

"I'm just a neophyte, you are still the master," she mockingly placated.

"Hmph!" he snorted in a very undignified manner. "And don't think I didn't notice that you are trying to change the subject," he warned.

"Sarcasm?" she asked with careful innocence.

"No. The subject is-,"

But she cut him off, "I know, I know...," and she sighed. "Quite a day this had turned out to be, hasn't it?" she asked rhetorically and he just waited. "First the nightmare... then a little soul-searching... and now...," and she gestured vaguely at him.

"Sam, if you don't want to tell me now, I'll understand... as long as you're going to tell me someday... I mean, c'mon, I've been trying to figure this out for years!" he stated with feeling.

She looked over at him briefly and then looked away. "After dinner?"

Nonplussed by her acquiescence, he just nodded and then added, "Sure, after dinner."

"Right then, I'm going to go and fetch some water and get some boiling," and she stood up to collect the pots and canteens. "Why don't you take your temperature again?" she suggested and he rolled his eyes, but then complied without further complaint. He couldn't believe that he was going to finally hear what really happened...

Laying back against a log with the too-familiar thermometer in his mouth, his thoughts drifted back to the words that had reached him in his dreams ... the words that had triggered his memories of Raptor 2, _"Jack O'Neill if you up and die on me here, I'm going to be so pissed at you. I'll find you on whatever plane of existence you go to... Ascended... or whatever... and then I'll proceed to kick your ass from one end of the galaxy to the other... with maybe a little inter-galactic ass-kicking thrown in for good measure! It's one thing to wake up stranded here, just the two of us... it would be quite another for you to abandon me here... No One Gets Left Behind, Airman. No One. Just you try and leave me- I'll follow you just to kick your ass!"_

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - -

Author's Note: As I noted in Chapter 31, I referenced Gateworld's Omnipedia for information regarding Jack O'Neill's backstory. Please see that chapter for more information.

Gateworld's Omnipedia timeline for Sam Carter includes: "Carter graduated at the top of her class from the U.S. Air Force Academy. As a pilot, she logged over 100 hours in enemy air space during the Persian Gulf War. She spent two years at the Pentagon trying to make the Stargate program a reality from about 1994 to 1996"

The fanfic '1991' by Starbuck92 is a great Carterfic of some of Sam's time in the Gulf War. www_dot_shahrazad_dot_net/sgnovels/stories1/1991.txt (just replace the _dot_s with periods)

- - -


	35. The Path To Podunk

"_Right then, I'm going to go and fetch some water and get some boiling," and she stood up to collect the pots and canteens. "Why don't you take your temperature again?" she suggested and he rolled his eyes, but then complied without further complaint. He couldn't believe that he was going to finally hear what really happened... _

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 35: THE PATH TO PODUNK**

- - -

The evening air was rapidly losing the warmth of the day as they finished their evening meal. A few sparkling stars glittered through the open spaces between the clouds.

"So?" he prompted.

"So?" she deliberately pretended ignorance.

"So... it's your turn," he encouraged.

"My turn?" she drew it out with a quizzical expression.

"Sa-a-m," he deliberately overplayed a whine. "It's your turn... You know, I talk, then you talk, then I tell a story, then you tell a story... I shared a story before dinner... now it's your turn."

"Ahh...," and she looked thoughtful and thought back to what he'd suggested she talk about a few days ago. "Let's see... my first crush was on-,"

"Nah-ah-ah," he denied and she raised her eyebrows with a small smile.

"Jimmy Mathers was my first boyfriend and-," she tried again, but he interrupted quickly.

"Sa-a-amm," he growled her name and narrowed his eyes.

Sighing, she squinted her eyes at the fire and then took a breath, "Just after we headed back to towards base...,"

* * *

- - - - - - - - - -

_**Flashback**_

"Raptor Lead, this is Eagle Eye," the AWAC (airborne warning and control plane) radioed.

"Eagle Eye, this is Raptor Lead, we read you five by five," Major Rogers replied crisply.

"Raptor Lead, we have probable hostile radio activity and movement of a previously identified artillery battery in the vicinity of Grounder 1. Are any of your flight capable of returning to remove the threat?"

"Request understood Eagle Eye, checking status," Rogers returned and then, "Sound off airmen, let me know once more what you've got left above Bingo fuel," he ordered.

"Raptor 3 is Bingo800."

"Raptor 4 is Bingo650."

"Raptor 2 is fine on fuel. I can take care of it, sir."

"Two, Give me your status," he sent back.

"Raptor 2 is Bingo1200."

Silence.

"Eagle Eye, Raptor Flight is a no-go for a return, sorry," Rogers radioed the AWAC.

"Understood Raptor Flight. Have a safe trip home and we'll see you on the ground," the AWACs controller responded.

"Sir, we can't just leave him there alone. He won't stand a chance against an artillery battery and the rescue chopper won't be able to get to him," Raptor 3 appealed.

"Listen up airmen, we'd be sucking air before we made it back over the border. We don't have a choice. We'll just have to hope he gets lucky. We've done all we can," he sent back and then, "Raptor 2, where the hell are you going?"

"Yes sir, I'll see you back at the base," she replied to her CO's amazement.

"Raptor 2 – Get the Hell Back Here!" he yelled into his mike. "Shit!" he muttered into his cockpit and then checked his fuel – he was now Bingo400... he couldn't follow her if he wanted to. "Wizard, after you get back to base, _if_ you get back to base, you're ass is mine," he sent after her as he and the other remaining two ships of Raptor flight headed for the border.

- - -

"Eagle Eye, this is Raptor 2, can you give me a location on the hostiles?" she radioed the AWAC.

"Raptor 2, good to see you. Your target is currently at 280 degrees, 55 miles and closing. Data link at three, two, one. You should be able to pick up the heat signature," he filled her in. "Recommend dropping to base2000 and approaching from a bearing of 220."

"Acknowledged, Eagle Eye. Data received," she returned as her computer accepted the transmission and both her console and HUD (Heads Up Display) lit up with information. She had just a few minutes to make the course adjustments so that she'd be coming in just over to the side of Grounder 1.

With scant seconds to spare, she dropped lower and pickled off the missile, "Missile Away," she radioed the control ship as she flashed over her target. Quickly swinging around, she caught the fireball that signaled that she'd hit more than just dirt.

"I think you got 'em, Raptor 2," the AWAC sent her confirmation of the kill.

"Secondary explosions confirmed, we definitely hit something," she agreed.

"How long can you stick around Raptor 2?" the controller asked.

"How much longer until the chopper gets here?" she sent back.

"ETA is 7 mikes," he returned.

"Understand 7 mikes, Raptor 2 will stick around," she replied.

- - - - - -

"Grounder 1, this is Raptor 2, are you still with us?" she called down to the injured soldier on the ground.

"Abso-freakin-lutely, Raptor 2! I'm still here and I can't tell you how glad I am to see you!"

"Glad to be of service, Grounder 1,"

"I thought you guys were Bingo fuel and had to RTB?"

"My ship sips its fuel, so I decided to stick around a bit longer," she replied.

"You decided? You're not going to get in trouble on my account are you?"

"Only if we don't haul your sorry ass out of there while you're still breathing, Grounder 1," she sent back just as the AWAC controller broke in, "Heads up, Raptor 2, hostile aircraft at bearing 335, 105 miles out and closing rapidly."

"Tally Ho, Grounder 1, I'm going to be busy for a few minutes with another of our MIG visitors... just sit tight - that chopper is on its way."

"Roger that, Raptor 2"

The skirmish with the MIG was short and sweet. She got off an air-to-air missile that exploded close enough to the other ship to cause enough damage for it to have to break off and retreat from battle. Satisfied that the MIG would not be a further threat today, she returned to the air space over the injured officer on the ground.

"Still there Grounder 1?"

"Still here," but he sounded fuzzy and slow.

"Grounder 1, you're not going to have the audacity to up and die on me are you?"

"Trying not to," and he was obviously having difficulty finding breath to speak.

"Listen up, soldier, if you die on me now, I'll follow you into your afterlife just for the pleasure of kicking your ass for giving up on us!" She sent him a ration of military bravado and challenge.

Silence answered her.

"Grounder 1, do you copy?"

Silence again and she was worried that they'd already lost this soldier. That their efforts to bring this warrior home had just failed.

"Grounder 1, acknowledge!"

"Grounder 1 copies, Raptor 2," the reply was barely intelligible, but the fact that he was still alive was all that mattered at this point. Both her radar and the AWAC controller were feeding her data about the inbound rescue chopper. It was just a few minutes away.

"That's more like it, Grounder. Now stay with me. I don't want to have to kick your ass, but I will if you give up on me now, copy that?" She continued the challenging dialogue – daring him to stay alive.

"Roger, Raptor 2... one ass-kicking if I die on you," and the increased clarity of his words bolstered her confidence that he might survive.

"That's better, Grounder 1...," and she could see that the chopper was closing in his position, "and here's your ride, just in time..., so I'll just be moseying back in the direction of home base."

"Copy, Raptor 2. Safe journey home - and thanks,"

"Just don't up and die on the ride home or something equally stupid, Grounder 1. I'll find out about it and I'll still come and deliver that ass-kicking – I'm not one to renege on a threat – or a promise," she wanted to make sure that he knew that it wasn't quite over.

"Understood, Raptor 2."

"See you stateside soldier, Raptor 2 out," she sent back warmly as she headed her ship back towards the border.

"Raptor 2, the beer's on me, Grounder 1 out," came back to her.

_**End Flashback**_

- - - - - - - -

* * *

"Sounds pretty familiar," he smiled sympathetically. 

"Yeah," she agreed.

"I owe you one," he stated.

But she just shrugged, "And I owe you several from over the past 8 years," she replied dismissively.

"Oh, I think we're about even over the past 8 years or so," he pointed out. "And even if I don't owe Colonel Carter, I still owe Raptor 2," he added.

She looked up at him for a moment and then looked back at the fire, "Raptor 2... doesn't exist anymore. Hasn't for a long time.... It was all a long time ago... a lifetime ago," she said quietly.

"Oh, I think the old Raptor comes out every now and then... to fly an X302... to fly a Flthlian," and she couldn't fathom how he wrapped his tongue around that, "spaceship... to fly in an alien space race...," he pointed out affectionately.

She blushed a little and allowed a small, soft smile, "Sometimes," she conceded.

"So what happened next?" he nudged for more of the story.

She glanced back up at him and then winced. "I... didn't quite make it back to base," she revealed and at his raised eyebrows and questioning look, she added, "Ran out of fuel." She'd known she wasn't going to make it back to base from the moment she returned for Grounder 1. And she'd never regretted her decision. It had ultimately changed the direction of her career, but she never regretted her decision to go back.

His eyebrows hiked up even farther and then he nodded in understanding. "How close did you get?"

And she grimaced, "Not close enough... she went dry and I stayed with her as long as I could, but then I had to punch out," and she paused as the memories and images passed in front of her eyes.

"Had you crossed the border?" he asked with concern.

She shook her head, "No... didn't quite make it. I figure that I landed my 'chute... oh... 6-7 miles from the border. I'd made a clean landing chute landing though, no broken bones or twisted ankles."

"You shouldn't have done it. Trading your life for some half-dead soldier on the ground – what the hell were you thinking?" he admonished her.

"You're just saying that because you were that half-dead soldier," she pointed out.

He opened his mouth to start to argue, but then reluctantly had to acknowledge that she was right and he gave a small shrug and nod of his head.

"You would have done the same thing if you'd been in my place," she added.

"What happened next?" he asked and avoided verbally confirming her assessment.

She sighed again, "Next, I started walking out. It was still dark... early in the morning... around 0430 or so... the sun would be up soon and I wanted to get as close to the border as I could before the natives got too restless. I'd only been walking for an hour or so, though, before a second rescue chopper appeared over the horizon and picked me up. Apparently, they'd scrambled the chopper that had been prepped as backup to the one that picked you up. I was back on base a little over an hour or so later," she finished.

"Mmmhmmm... and then what?" he asked knowing that there was more.

She made a face but continued, "Well, first there were the checkouts in the infirmary, then the debriefing... then the brig," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Ooops," he commented and she gave him a sideways look. "Sorry," he added and he meant it.

"Wasn't your fault," she replied. "After giving me an official verbal tongue-lashing, my CO told me that he was proud of me – unofficially, of course. He also informed me that the brass further up the line weren't quite as pissed about my disobeying orders as they were about the multi-million-dollar aircraft that I augered into the desert in hostile territory."

"That does tend to tweak the bean-counters and paper-pushers," he agreed sympathetically.

"Yeah, they left me to stew in the brig for two days while they decided what to do. Ultimately, I was taken off active flight duty and slated to be sent back to the States before they would decide my ultimate fate," she continued. "In the meantime, I was allowed to visit the infirmary... just to see the true reason for all this brouhaha," and she gave him a sly smile.

"You visited me in base hospital?" he asked curiously.

She nodded with a wider smile, "Oh yeah, I had to see what the trouble was all about... and to see you alive... made it all worth it..."

"I couldn't have looked like anything that was worth all that effort," he noted.

She nodded again, "You did look a lot like death-warmed-over," she acknowledged, "And I pressed the doctor to make sure that you had a positive diagnosis... that you weren't going to up and die... on me," she ended with a small challenging smile.

"No way that was going to happen," he retorted, "Someone had threatened me with a serious ass-kicking or some such if I had the cheek to up and die on them."

"You got that right!" she returned firmly, but with a twinkle in her eyes.

He tried to dredge up memories from that base hospital, but had to admit, "I don't remember seeing you."

She smiled softly, "No, you wouldn't. You were unconscious."

"Wish I'd woken up," he murmured, but she heard him and gave him a soft, shy smile.

- - - - - - -

"So... The Road to Podunk?" he prodded with a friendly but questioning look.

Sighing, she continued doggedly, "When I got back stateside, they held a hearing-,"

"Fun!" he interjected sardonically.

"No," she countered.

"No," he agreed.

Clearing her throat softly, she continued, "There was a lot of... discussion about what should happen to me... some wanted to send me up on charges.... others argued that I'd shown initiative and heroism... My CO actually argued strongly that I be allowed to return to active flight status... But ultimately they settled on removal from flight status followed by a transfer to a 'quiet' research facility."

"And no astronaut track," he added sympathetically.

"No astronaut track," she echoed softly, "With that as punishment, they apparently didn't feel the need to press charges."

"They wouldn't have had you where they wanted you if they'd pressed charges and you'd ended up in Leavenworth," Jack spoke knowingly and she looked back at him questioningly.

"Where they wanted me?" she repeated and her brows furrowed.

"In some Think Tank research lab, Sam," he spelled it out and she looked surprised.

"Well...," and she was staring into the fire, "I was sent to the research lab in Indiana and the entire mission – and the aftereffects - were given a 'Classified' status in my file... apparently, Grounder 1 had been on a Very Unofficial Mission...," and she gave him a knowing look.

"Um, yeah... just one more of those 'special' little missions that our team was sent on," he admitted.

"So there you have it. The whole story," she summed it up.

But he wasn't done yet. "So how did Katherine spring you from the lab to work on the Stargate project?" he questioned.

She smiled back and chuckled softly, "It was just another military research project at the time. And, I have to admit, I found it exciting. Undeniable proof of aliens on Earth! All that science fiction that I'd read as a kid... and there it was in front of me. I figured that even if I never got to go into space, that this alien technology was a pretty fantastic project. Unbelievable actually!" And now she was smiling with some of the enthusiasm that she'd hadn't lost in over 10 years of working with the Stargate.

Her smile faded though, as she added, "But I was furious when they decided to close the project down and started pulling the team apart. When I was transferred to the Pentagon, I could hardly keep the secret. I was bursting to talk to someone - to get the project back to full strength," she paused for a moment and then continued, "I was devastated when I found out that I'd missed out on seeing Daniel get it to work... _and_ the trip to Abydos," and her voice was full of anger and regret. "That was worse than losing the chance to be an astronaut for NASA."

"They weren't about to send you on a suicide mission, Sam," he tried to console her.

But she just looked disgusted and shook her head. "Two years later though, when they called you back to go after Ra again... 'They'," and she pantomimed quotation marks with another look of disgust, "apparently decided that my expertise might be necessary."

"'They' were right," he said softly and she looked down at her feet in embarrassment.

"I was so afraid you weren't going to let me go with you," she admitted.

"You're kidding!" he mocked. "You sure didn't show it!" and he gave her a smirky grin.

She rolled her eyes. "You and your teams were special ops trained and I was a scientist coming recently from an administrative position out of research. I figured I'd have to stand up to you right away or I'd find myself watching from the control room when you went offworld."

"Had you ever challenged your new CO to an arm-wrestling match before?" he asked with a wide smile.

"No... but then none of them had such a direct opportunity to take away something I'd wanted to do my whole life," she confessed. "I was afraid that I was going to miss that once-in-a-lifetime chance."

- - - - - - -

"You still could have told me that you were Raptor 2, Sam," he chided. "Sometime... over the past 8 years..."

She shook her head negatively, "There just wasn't any easy way to lead into it. What was I supposed to say... 'Oh... and by the way... I was Raptor 2?'... No," she shook her head again, "It was simpler to leave it in the past. I wanted to earn my right to be on one of the SG teams."

"You more than earned it," he informed her, and with no small amount of pride for having been her CO and mentor.

She started to protest, but then simply decided to mumble a "Thanks." She actually couldn't believe how it had all turned out. She'd actually ended up on the one program that could take her further into space than any space shuttle. And to have ended up working with Grounder 1... well, as a scientist, she didn't believe in fate or destiny... but she could appreciate the... symmetries in her life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - -

_TBC (to be continued)_

- - -

* * *

- - -

Author's Note: I apologize for any inconsistencies with the military jet flights, fuels, distances, lingo, etc. I tried to keep within what I've read over the years, but any goofs or gaffes are mine... and I ask any pilots or military personnel to simply read more for the sentiments rather than the technical details. I sincerely appreciate your tolerance. :)

The call sign 'Wizard' was given to Sam Carter in the fanfic '1991' by Starbuck92, which can be found at the Stargate Novel Archive website

- - -


	36. Links

_She actually couldn't believe how it had all turned out. She'd actually ended up on the one program that could take her further into space than any space shuttle. And to have ended up working with Grounder 1... well, as a scientist, she didn't believe in fate or destiny... but she could appreciate the... symmetries in her life._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 36: LINKS**

- - -

She awoke suddenly.

She was reasonably warm and the tent was pitch-black.

He moved and she knew what had woken her up.  
He was having nightmares again.

"Mbtrrrfvvv...fvgggkth...," unintelligible mutterings and mumblings as he lived through whatever unpleasantness now occupied his subconscious.

0417 local time, her watch informed her as she sheltered the watch's backlight so that it would not disturb him... anymore than he already was, she thought sadly.

Placing her hand on his shoulder, she spoke soothingly, "Jack, it's allright." Trying to keep her voice soft and gentle.

She couldn't know if he heard her or not, but his movements quieted and he relaxed a little. "It's allright," she repeated softly.

His felt warm... his fever was returning again.

Her worries from the previous evening returned in the dark, cold predawn hours.  
Worries that he would not be able to overcome this illness.  
Worries that she would lose him.

Sliding her hand over onto his chest, she felt for that reassuring thump, thump, thump of his heartbeat. Feeling those vibrations, she relaxed a little as she lay there alongside him in their cocoon of sleeping bags.

Prickles.  
Itching.  
Tingling.

She raised her head slowly and looked at her hand.

That same light green glow leaked out from between her palm and his chest.

She stared at it. Trying to figure it out.  
And the glow faded.  
Along with the prickles, itching and tingling.

She slowly picked up her hand.  
Nothing. She couldn't see anything in the inky dark but a faint fading afterimage that moved with her eyes as she shifted their direction of focus.

She touched her other hand to her palm.  
Nothing felt different.

She rubbed her two hands together gently.  
Nothing felt out-of-the-ordinary.

She slowly lay her hand back on his chest.  
Watching into the darkness.  
Nothing.  
Just... dark.

But something was different.  
He was quiet. His breathing appeared to have evened out and he seemed to be sleeping much more peacefully.

Lying her head back down on his shoulder, she tried to determine if she was imagining things. She mentally reviewed what she remembered from the night before. And then compared that with what had just happened.

She tried to find similarities between what she'd seen and what they'd discovered over their many years of Stargate travel. The closest match that she could remember was when the Nox had healed Lya. Sifting through the memories and the alien technologies, her mind drifted and her thoughts grew fuzzy with sleep.

Thump, thump, thump... the vibrations from his heart beat softly into her palm.

And the prickling sensation returned... with the itching and tingling.

The soft green glow and funny sensations in her hand registered dimly on some less-than-awake level of her mind. Her half-open eyes slowly slid shut as she fell into a deep sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He woke in the soft predawn grey light. The tent walls came into focus. The warmth in the sleeping bags contrasted sharply with the bracing chill of the air on his unprotected face.

And the warmth of her snuggled up against his side.  
He smiled contentedly.

And then raised his eyebrows...  
...as he realized that he felt better... a lot better!

He could take deeper breaths...  
He didn't feel feverish or chilled.

His smile grew a little wider.  
He pulled in a long, slow breath, and reveled in how good he felt.

He lay quietly for another 10 minutes or so, enjoying the warmth, the soft early morning light... and her closeness.

But then, he started to get restless.  
A need to get up and get moving.  
Something he hadn't felt in days.

Making up his mind, he slipped out of the sleeping bags, making sure not to jostle Sam – or to let any cold air in under their covers. Snugging the sleeping bags around her gently, he quickly pulled on some warmer clothes and then quietly slipped out of the tent.

Busying himself around camp, he restarted the fire and heated some water for hot drinks while starting some breakfast. Once the drinks and breakfast were ready, he stuck his head back in the tent, only to see that she was not yet awake... and in fact, she hadn't moved an inch from where he'd left her.

Smiling to himself, he ate his portion of the breakfast while enjoying the brightening morning. Covering her portion so that it could be rewarmed later, he set to restocking their firewood, checking the camp alarm system and other such chores.

An hour or so later, he looked back at the still silent tent. Silently opening the tent zipper, he peeked inside again. To see that she was still in exactly the same position that she'd been in before. Concerned, he slipped inside and closed the tent door against the morning cold.

"Sam," he spoke softly.

Silence answered him.

"Sam?" he tried a little louder.

Silence.

Moving over next to her, he shook her shoulder gently, "Sam, wake up," and he couldn't keep a touch of worry from his voice.

She moaned softly.

He waited.

But she didn't wake up.

"Sam," and he shook her gently again.

Another airy groan, and then she shifted under his hand, "What?" It was barely above a whisper and her eyes were still closed.

He put his hand on her forehead, but she didn't feel like she had a fever. "Sam, wake up," he tried again.

"Why?" and that was more clear... and then her eyes opened sleepily and she looked up at him.

He sighed in relief and sat back. "You had me worried," he confessed.

She looked puzzled and tried to blink the sleep from her eyes. "What's wrong?"

He looked at her steadily, "Nothing... I just... you weren't up... and you weren't moving... and then you didn't wake up very easily... and... and I just got worried," and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Everything's OK?" she checked.

"Yeah, pretty much," he admitted.

"Good, 'm going back to sleep," and her eyes slid shut again to his surprise.

He stared at her for another moment, but then shook her gently again, "Sam, not just yet, OK?"

"Mmmm?" came the muzzy reply.

"Look, just don't go back to sleep yet. I want to take your temperature first," and he reached for the medkit.

She didn't reply or move as he readied the instrument.

"Sam, C'mon, Wake up," he cajoled and shook her lightly again.

"Whhaa-?" came the sleepy reply.

"Temperature," he kept it short as he slipped the thermometer into her mouth.

"Gughhkkk," came a muffled objection.

Grinning, he replied more clearly, "It will only take a few minutes... and don't make me remind you how many times you made me take my temp over the past few days."

She didn't reply. She just sighed and relaxed with her eyes closed.

A few minutes later, the thermometer beeped and he slipped it out of her mouth, pretty sure that she was asleep again.

99 degrees.

Slightly above normal.  
Just slightly.  
Normal was 98.6 degrees...  
But that was just an average over 24 hours for a range of different people.

A person's early-morning, just-awaken-from-sleep body temp was often lower than 98.6 and could range from 96-97 degrees.

So... 99 degrees was probably a low-grade fever.

He watched her sleeping.  
Her face relaxed.  
Blonde hair spilled across her cheek.

Shaking himself into action, he pulled out some acetaminophen and some antibiotics. Locating her water bottle, he turned back to her sleeping form.

"One more time, Sam," and he spoke clearly and shook her gently.

...And was rewarded with another groan and she pulled away from him slightly, "Tired," she mumbled without opening her eyes.

He grinned, he couldn't help it. She was too cute. Forcing himself back to the task at hand however, he insisted, "Sam, just wake up for a few more minutes," and he pulled her up and into a reclining position in his lap. To his surprise, she didn't resist. "Here, take these," and he held the pills out.

She squinted at his hand, "What is it?"

"You've got a low-grade fever, it's just some acetaminophen and some antibiotics," he explained.

Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly pushed herself into a more vertical position and took the pills and the offered water bottle. Swallowing the pills, she lay back against him. "This is kinda nice," she muttered with half-open eyes.

"How do you feel?" he asked with concern.

"Tired," she answered thickly as she began to drop off again.

He sat there silently for a few minutes as she quickly fell back asleep. Brushing the hair from her face, he quietly watched her. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

Gently laying her down, he cocooned the sleeping bags around her and then quietly slipped out of the tent.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jack busied himself around camp with small tasks and chores for a few hours. Every half-hour or so, he stopped and looked in the tent to see if there were any signs of the fever progressing. Each time, she appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A rustling in the tent, followed by the characteristic sound of the tent's zipper pulled his attention from his whittling to their sleeping quarters. A few moments later, Sam emerged, squinting into the bright light of the late morning.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," he greeted her with a sardonic grin.

She looked at her watch as she sat down next to him, "1130!" she remarked in surprise.

He looked her over assessingly, "How do you feel?"

"Still tired," she admitted with a grimace.

Setting down the stake that he was sharpening, he retrieved the medkit from the tent, "Bet you can guess what's next," he sent as he unpacked the thermometer and then handed it to her.

Sighing, she slipped the thermometer under her tongue and used the waiting time to continue to wake up. When it beeped a few minutes later, he quickly snatched it from her mouth and she glared at him while waiting for him to read the results.

"98.4," he reported with raised eyebrows and a look of relief passed over her face. "Do you feel anything besides tired? Achey? Trouble breathing?" he pursued.

Shaking her head, "No. Just tired," she replied and then, "Maybe I just need another couple vacation days," she suggested with a small grin.

"Ahh! I'm converting you!" he crowed, "I knew you weren't a completely lost-cause-workaholic," he stated.

"You certainly seem to be feeling better," she observed.

"You noticed?" he went for innocent surprise.

"Oh, yeah," she replied with a tone of sufferance tempered with a quirky half-smile.

"Well, I do feel better. A lot better actually. Woke up and felt better than I have in days," he reported. "I think I kicked whatever that fever was from," he proclaimed.

"Good, you had me worried," she replied.

Locking eyes with her, he returned with, "Back at you," and she dropped her eyes to the ground. "Hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit," she admitted.

"Allright, you just sit back and relax, and I'll fix us some lunch," he ordered as he got up.

"Yes sir," she sent back with an amused tone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later that afternoon, Jack looked up from securing his eighth fish of the day. Sam was propped against a tree trunk along the river bank. Asleep. After lunch, they'd declared the day as an 'official' day off and then played cards for an hour or so before heading down to the river for some fishing and relaxing.

He'd made her take her temperature again and it was a respectable 98.3 and she stated that she didn't feel feverish or like she had the flu.

He leaned back against his pack and watched her sleeping. In spite of all their time together over the past 4 weeks, he really hadn't had much time to openly watch her without her knowledge.

Raptor 2.

How had he not recognized her voice?  
He thought he'd heard it so clearly in his dreams for years.  
The voice of that angel in the sky that had come back for him.

Of course, he'd been feverish in that desert... Maybe the recent fever had helped him remember...? That and her words... her promise to kick his ass if he up and died on her.

Raptor 2 and Grounder 1.  
Sam Carter and Jack O'Neill.

He watched her sleeping figure across from him.

The two of them were connected.

On a deep, fundamental level...  
...that he couldn't define...  
...he was only beginning to become aware of it.

Perhaps the Asgard or the Nox or the Ascended could explain it. Well, hopefully not the Ascended, because their explanation would be couched in so many riddles that he would just get frustrated.

"_I didn't leave ... because I'd have rather died myself ... than lose Carter,"  
_"_Why?"  
_"_Because I care about her ... A lot more than I'm supposed to,"_

The words echoed in his mind as he watched the afternoon shadows softly dapple her face.

Connected.

With certainty he knew that she was a part of him.  
No matter how their lives developed, diverged or converged.

They were friends now.  
Still comrades, but now they were friends too.  
He enjoyed her company... and she appeared to enjoy his.  
They talked about this and that... trivial things, important things...  
They'd learned so much about each other.  
About each other's childhoods and families.  
About their hopes and dreams.  
Some things silly, some things sad.

With only the two of them here, they sometimes got on each other's nerves. He'd get cranky and sarcastic... or she'd get short and snappy. They'd each generally give the other's mood a little space and time.

Of course, there was that day she'd taken to amused looks and the occasional sniggering. He'd been a bit cranky... ok, _a lot_ cranky... and she'd somehow seen it as amusing. The more he tried to pick at things, the more amused she'd seemed to get. Which had only pulled his tail tighter and made him even crankier... then she'd then gone from chuckling to openly laughing until tears rolled down her cheeks while he'd glared at her.

"Sorry," she'd finally choked out. "No, you're not," he'd accused. More laughter and then finally, "No, I guess I'm not... you're just being... so... so...," and that had thankfully been swallowed by more strangled laughter.

So, they were now friends.  
In addition to comrades.

Watching her sleep, his eyes traced the profile of her face.  
She was beautiful.  
Angelic when asleep.  
And with an inner beauty that shone out of her when she was awake.

A part of him said that he was in love.  
And that scared him.  
Because Sam Carter had always been off-limits to him.  
He was her CO.  
Or had been.  
What were they now?

How much time would have to pass on this planet before they would be able to consider the military, and its regs, a part of their past lives?

Would this be his third life?  
He had his life before the SGC,  
...and his life with the SGC,  
...was this his life after the SGC?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They took the next day off too. Sam's temperature held steady at just below 98.6 degrees, but she admitted to still feeling tired.

Jack was worried, and he kept a close eye on her. She didn't even open her laptop... and that added to his misgivings. Mostly, she sat quietly playing cards – either solitaire... or poker when he joined in. And she napped. In the morning. And again in the afternoon.

Jack wove more of their homemade rope and sharpened the ends of some more stakes for general purposes around camp... for reinforcement of their shelter, for tent stakes and tools around the fire, etc. He also caught another round of fish for dinner... and watched Sam take her afternoon nap by the river.

That evening, however, she gave him the first sign that she was feeling better. She proposed that she spend the next day working with the DHD again. That was a good sign. He knew that the world was getting back to normal when Sam Carter wanted to play with doohickeys. Even broken ones.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - -

Author's Notes:

**As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
****www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm **(just replace the _dot_s with periods)  
_Episode 107, 'The Nox', transcript by Lauren Freeman  
__Episode 405 'Divide and Conquer', transcript by AQ_

**And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at 's Stargate SG-1 website**

- - -


	37. That Green Glow

_That evening, however, she gave him the first sign that she was feeling better. She proposed that she spend the next day working with the DHD again. That was a good sign. He knew that the world was getting back to normal when Sam Carter wanted to play with doohickeys. Even broken ones._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 37: THAT GREEN GLOW**

- - -

Sam spent the next day working on the DHD. Jack found things to do that kept him in and around the clearing. Keeping an eye on her. When lunchtime rolled around, she joined him without protest. 

"How're you feeling?" he tried to sound casual, but she wasn't fooled.

Giving him a small reassuring grin, "Fine."

He rolled his eyes, "That a non-answer from you... you'd say 'Fine' if you had two broken legs-,"

"I would not!" she disagreed with an amused scowl.

"Would to," he shot back affectionately.

"Like you're one to talk Mr. Broken-Ribs-Punctured-Lung-But-Not-Going-To-Tell-Anyone-in-Antarctica," she reminded him.

And that made him pause for a moment, and then, "Well, I never said I was 'Fine'."

"Splitting hairs," she countered.

"So, how are you really feeling?" he returned to his original question with a knowing look.

"Fine," and then at his look of disbelief, "_Really_."

"Sam, you basically slept for two days – and that's not like you. You barely touched the laptops... or any type of doohickeys... And the other morning – it was like you were drugged...," and then, "Do you think that you came in contact with something on this planet that could have caused a reaction like that?"

Her brow furrowed as she thought back to the last day and night of his fever. "I don't remember coming into contact with anything...," and her voice trailed off as.

"What?" he asked.

She looked at him pensively. "I...," she started, but didn't know how to continue. It was so hard to believe that it wasn't a dream. Because it probably _had_ been a dream. "I don't remember touching any new varieties of plants or animals..., nothing that we haven't already touched anyway. I don't remember any new bug bites...," and her gaze grew unfocussed as she thought of the image of her hand on his chest... and that green glow.

He watched her carefully. And waited for her to share what she was thinking or remembering. But then she shook her head as if in response to some internal dialogue and he knew that she wasn't going to tell him without some additional prodding. "Sam..."

And she looked up in surprise, apparently having lost track of 'The Here and Now' for a moment. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. Which earned him a small look of bewilderment. "You remembered something, didn't you?" And he tried to keep his tone casual.

She opened her mouth and the look on her face told him she was going to deny his statement, but then she changed her mind and a look of uncertainty settled over her face. She glanced down and then back up at him, "It was probably a dream," she declared.

He raised his eyebrows. "OK, a dream about what?"

She studied him thoughtfully for a moment and then her eyes moved to the trees surrounding the clearing. She looked back at him and then back into the distance. Her internal war obvious. Without looking at him again, "It was early in the morning... 0300 or 0400 or some such... and... you were feverish... and restless... nightmares...," she started.

He nodded, although she didn't look over at him, but kept her eyes fixed on the line of trees. "I... I was worried that you wouldn't be able to beat the fever... or flu... or whatever it was... I tried talking to you softly... trying to see if I could soothe some of the nightmares..., but the nightmares were so strong... you weren't sleeping well... I was so afraid that you weren't going to make it," and her voice broke as she kept her eyes on the forest.

"I have no intention of inciting an After-Death Ass-Kicking," he pointed out with a smile.

She refocused her gaze on him and the depth of emotion in her eyes rocked him. She held his eyes for a moment and then looked down for a few seconds before returning her gaze to the tree-line. "Talking softly didn't seem to do much... you quieted a little, but the nightmares didn't end, and you were still restless and mumbling... I didn't know how to help..."

"Sam-," he started to tell her that his nightmares were not her fault, but she interrupted quickly.

"I...I was thinking about how I might lose you... how this might be the end... and you were feverish and restless... and I put my hand on your chest... just to feel your heartbeat...," and she winced in embarrassment while keeping her gaze on the forest of trees. "And then... there was this... glow...," and her voice trailed off again.

"Glow?" he asked slowly.

She winced again and nodded, "Yes... it was light green."

"What, where...? Glowy like Daniel-Ascended glowy?" he asked.

She shook her head negatively, "No, not like one of the Ascended. It was...," and she looked at him uncertainly. "It was probably just a dream, Jack."

But he wasn't going to allow that. "Maybe. Maybe not," he returned challengingly and she sighed with reluctance.

"The glow was... between my hand and your chest," and she narrowed her eyes slightly in anticipation of his disbelief. But he kept his face impassive.

"Your hand glowed?" he asked and tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

"Or your chest," she replied with an apologetic shrug.

"Ri-ight," he returned slowly.

"Like I said, it was probably just a dream," she was quick to return to her earlier statement.

He stared at her thoughtfully and she glanced away, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "Nothing like that's ever happened before, right?" he asked and she looked surprised that he was taking her story seriously.

She opened her mouth to speak and then looked uncertain and winced again.

"What?" he prompted.

"It may have happened the previous night too," she admitted.

"What!" he exclaimed.

"It was the same dark, early morning hours... and you were feverish, and I was afraid that you weren't going to make it... and... and it was probably just two similar dreams," she concluded and tried to sound confident.

He mulled it over. They had seen some pretty weird and/or unbelievable things over the past decade. "Did it remind you of anything that we've run across in the past 8-10 years?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows in a facial shrug, "Maybe a little of the glow of the healing device, but that may just be because I was wishing that we had one..., or maybe a little of the glow from the Nox's hands when they were healing Lya," she confessed and then hastened to add, "But we don't have a healing device and neither of us is a Nox."

"No... but you do have that Naquadah in your blood," he noted.

But she shrugged, "We've never run across a Goa'uld or Tokra who could heal without the healing device."

"No," he agreed and then added, "But Aiyana could heal with her touch...," as he remembered the frozen Ancient woman discovered in Antarctica.

"So maybe it was you," Sam postulated.

"How did you make that leap?" he asked curiously.

"You were able to heal Bra'tac -the same way Aiyana could-before we went back to Antarctica," she reminded him.

He thought for a moment before responding. "The Asgard removed the knowledge of the Ancients and restored me to normal – I can't do those things any more."

She shrugged, "Maybe not all the time, but you were feverish the other night... maybe you still have remnants of Ancient abilities that can resurface when the conditions are right," and she took a breath and continued, "or maybe it has something to do with something on this planet... something in the food or air or water..."

"So, now you're thinking they weren't just dreams?" he asked with a small smile.

She rolled her eyes, "Just considering the possibilities... which sound more plausible than I'd thought they might," she admitted.

"One thing doesn't quite jive, though," he mused.

"What?" she asked.

"I wasn't healing you – you were healing me," he pointed out and she shrugged to indicate that she couldn't explain it. "I certainly felt better the next morning," he commented thoughtfully. "You said it was two nights in a row, right?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"So why didn't it work the first night?" he pondered aloud.

She thought back through her memories, "I pulled away when it happened the first night... I thought I must have imagined it... but the second night... when it happened again... I focused on it... but then it didn't come back...," and the memories played inside her mind, "I think... I fell asleep with my hand on your chest," and she looked away in embarrassment.

And a warm fuzzy feeling spread across his chest... right where he imagined her hand would have been. She had fallen asleep with her hand on his chest, feeling for the reassurance of his heart beat.

And then something else occurred to him, "Sam, you were exhausted and wrung out for two days...," and the implications sunk in. "We can't let that happen again... what if it had gone on for just a little longer...? It could have killed you!"

She looked at him steadily and then glanced away again without speaking and he knew that she would have done it anyway. Even if she'd known it could kill her... or would kill her. Whatever 'it' was.

"It doesn't seem like a very altruistic characteristic for the Ancients," he observed.

She shrugged again, "It could be a natural survival trait, a part of their genetics, not a consciously controlled action," she reasoned.

"Still-," he started but she interjected.

"Perhaps it only works when the donor is willing," she said softly.

And he had no answer to that.

Silence passed between them for a few moments.

"Promise me you won't kill yourself doing something like that?" he asked seriously.

"I fell asleep," she pointed out with a small smile.

"Sam... if you were to sacrifice yourself to save me... I'd never be able to live with that... I'd never forgive myself – or you," he declared.

"I won't if you won't," she countered.

"Won't-?" he asked for clarification.

"I won't sacrifice myself- if you promise not to sacrifice yourself," she challenged.

Silence. And then, "Allright, it's a deal," he agreed and they both knew it was a deal neither of them would keep.

A few minutes of silence passed before Sam announced, "I should get back to...," and she gestured at the DHD.

He nodded and asked, "Do you think there's any chance of getting any of it to work?"

The look on her face told him all he needed to know, and she shook her head minutely for a small silent 'no' but then added, "I have a few more things to try though."

He nodded his understanding, "I'm going to do a little hunting around the edges of the clearing. See if I can bag us some dinner."

She returned his nod and then turned her attention to the damaged alien technology.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Around 1730 local time, Jack returned to the Gate clearing. Back at camp, three of the small alien rabbits were cleaned and ready for dinner.

He stopped and stood at the edge of the forest. She was lying on the ground next to the DHD. He didn't think she was asleep. She appeared to be staring at the sky. Quietly, he walked over towards her.

"How's it going?" he asked.

She looked over at him and shook her head negatively. "Not well," she admitted.

He nodded silently and simply lay down beside her to share the view clouds and sky.

"I can't find any way to control the power source. The necessary crystals and connections are either broken or damaged too severely. I tried all of the combinations I could think of... and some I didn't think had a chance of working... and none of them did," she elaborated while watching the clouds scud drift lazily.

He tried to think of something to say... something to comfort her... He wanted to apologize again for stranding them here, but he knew that she didn't want to hear that.

The rustle of the breeze through the weeds and native grasses provided the only sounds as the two officers stared up at the alien sky.

"So, is it time to name our planet?" he asked tentatively.

Neither of them had broached this subject. They'd named the constellations and alien stars. They'd named the rivers and mountain peaks and the lakes... or rather _the_ lake.

But neither of them had suggested naming the planet.

It was as if to do so was to also admit that they were here permanently.

As if to name this planet was to admit that they'd given up hope of returning to Earth.

"P5X-846 doesn't have much of a ring to it, does it?" she commented rhetorically.

"Got any ideas?" he asked gently.

She glanced over at him and then took a slow breath before responding, "Nothing from the Simpsons..."

"What? Bartworld or Homerworld don't do anything for you?" he pretended disbelief.

"Not unless you want to consider names of famous physicists," she returned with a small smile of amusement.

"We're not naming this planet after some boring dead-guy," he declared.

"Not all physicists are boring – or dead," she returned quickly.

"I only know of one who's not either of those," he sent back and she started to object and then the implications of what he'd said sunk in and her face colored slightly.

"How about...Planet D'oh?" he offered.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Silence for a few moments as they each pondered the possibilities.

"How about Komtroya?" she offered with a sly smile, as she remembered how irritated he had been with Harlan's obsequiousness.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

More silence as they watched the clouds scud across the sky.

"Jack's Planet?"

"You already have a lake."

"Sam's Planet?"

"No."

"No?"

"No, thank you."

Silence descended again as the clouds above ignored the inane dialogue below.

"Well... there are so many trees... maybe the name should have something to do with trees... but Planet Tree doesn't sound very impressive," and he paused and then asked, "What's the scientific name for trees?"

"Spermatophyta," she replied.

He shot her a look of disbelief, "Where did that come from?"

"What?" she returned with a bewildered look.

"That Spermofighty answer... I ask you about trees and you come back with... sperm fighting?" he raised both eyebrows in askance.

She rolled her eyes again, "It's the Phylum Sperm-a-to-phy-ta," and she carefully enunciated each syllable, "of the Kingdom Plantae."

"I thought you were an astrophysicist?" he accused with mock weariness.

She gave him a mock glare, "With Daniel focused on the linguistic, archeological and cultural sciences, I had to branch out a bit and learn some of the basics of the other natural and physical sciences... a little geology, a little botany and zoology, a little meteorology," she explained. "It was the only way I could describe what we saw or found to the scientists back at the SGC after we'd get back from SG-1 missions."

"You could have asked Teal'c for help," he suggested, deliberately not offering himself as aide. She gave him a sideways look that told him that his omission did not go unnoticed.

"Why would they classify trees under sperm?" he couldn't prevent himself from asking and she didn't even try to hide her grin of amusement.

"Spermatophytes are plants that have seeds. Trees are just one type of spermatophyte," she explained.

"Sperm... are the seeds...," he followed.

"And phytes for plant," she finished.

"Who knew trees could be so... interesting?" and he waggled his eyebrows and she couldn't quite squash her amused grin. "So... there are a lot of trees here... and it would be scientific... you should like that...," he suggested.

"We are not naming it Planet Spermatophyta!" she retorted but couldn't keep her grin from getting wider.

"That would be a bit long," he agreed. "So we could shorten-,"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Planet Tree just doesn't have the zing that Planet Sp-,"

As a response, she sat up and moved over towards the DHD while deliberately muttering loudly enough for him to hear, "Maybe I _can_ get this thing working. What's a few broken crystals anyway?"

- - - - -

_TBC_

- - - - -

* * *

- - - - -

**Author's Notes:**

**As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
****www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm **(just replace the _dot_s with periods)  
_Episode 117, 'Solitudes', transcript by AQ  
__Episode 118, 'Tin Man', transcript by Lauren Freeman  
__Episode 604, 'Frozen', transcript by Sarae_

**And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at 's Stargate SG-1 website**

- - - - -


	38. Storm

"_Planet Tree just doesn't have the zing that Planet Sp-,"_

_- - - -_

_She sat up and moved over towards the DHD while deliberately muttering loudly enough for him to hear, "Maybe I can get this thing working. What's a few broken crystals anyway?"_

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 38: STORM**

- - -

A week had passed since they'd given up on fixing the DHD or being able to access the Gate's power source. The first few days had been cloudy and cold, but then it started to rain again. And it rained continuously for days. The only change was the intensity of the rainfall.

They stayed either within the shelter or the sleeping tent.  
Making forays for food when the storm abated temporarily.

Sam rationed her computer usage in case they weren't able to recharge the batteries any time soon. They both occupied themselves with cards, conversation and continued work on their shelter so that they stayed as dry as possible.

The rain finally stopped in mid-afternoon of the eighth day of the storm. That final downpour had been the most intense of the entire storm system, with the sheer volume of water sheeting down preventing them from even attempting to leave the tent.

Now they stood quietly surveying their soggy clearing. Most of their gear was fairly dry, if not a bit damp. Everything else was sodden... the muddy ground squelched under their feet, the trees dripped and the grass and weeds were sopping wet.

But as wet as everything was, they both relished the chance to stretch and walk around without rain pelting down on them.

They inspected their shelter. It had held up extremely well, and would only need some minor repairs. The series of small drainage ditches needed to be retrenched before they filled in completely with mud. Other than that, their camp had fared exceptionally well.

Next, they headed to the river for water. They stopped at the top of the river bank and surveyed the angry, rushing waters of the swollen stream. The river had slowly risen and grown over the 8-days of the storm, but the sudden increase in water volume from the past 10 hours had completely changed the character of their river. No longer was it the picturesque stream winding through the trees. Now it was roiling and seething with uprooted trees, brush and general forest litter.

"We'll have to strain the water through some cloth before boiling," Sam observed.

"Oh yummy," Jack returned sarcastically, because they both knew that even after straining, the water would still taste and feel like the mud that was in it. And then he sighed, "Well, let's see how bad it is," and they headed down to the present water's edge.

The swift water filled their canteens rapidly and while the muddy bank made their footing precarious, neither of them fell in. Turning to head back up the slippery slope, however, the ground suddenly seemed to shift and ripple.

Both officers instinctively dropped to their hands and knees as they slid towards the water.

And then the movement stilled and so did their downward slide.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, You?" she returned.

"Just peachy," he replied acerbically as he surveyed his precarious position. His legs from the knees down were in the water and the only thing stopping him from sliding completely into the river was the small amount of friction he could maintain against the muddy slope. He looked over at Sam to see that she had stopped her slide with her feet about two feet above the water's edge.

"Don't move," she instructed.

"Wasn't in my immediate plans," he admitted.

"I'll crawl up and get a rope," she continued and then started inching slowly and carefully up the slope. Five laborious minutes later and she crawled over the top of the bank. Quickly looking around, she immediately saw what was happening... it was the beginning of a landslide... or mudflow...or debris flow... depending on what actually ended up going into the water. She could clearly see the newly formed cracks beginning to form the outline of head of the tongue-shaped slide.

"I'll be right back," she sent down to him and then she sprinted back to camp. Returning a few minutes later, she quickly tied the rope around a tree aways back from the river's berm.

"Rope," she called and then took careful aim and sent the end of the rope down towards him. It landed about a foot from his right hand and the end of the rope sailed out into the water.

He quickly tied off the canteens and then grasped the rope to haul himself up.

And then the ground under him rippled again.  
As if it were a fluid, brown mass.

And then it fell away beneath him.

He held tightly to the rope as the tons of mud slid underneath him and slammed him around like a rag doll in the wind. But he didn't lose his grip.

But then something in the river smashed into his lower body and the rope was torn from his bloodied hands.

He felt the cold rush of the water as he was swept downstream.

Tumbling and twisting he fought for air.

He was tossed around with the ripped-up trees and forest debris.

And then the river took a sharp bend and... he didn't.  
He slammed into a rock and his movement halted.  
Water pounded against his back and pinned him against the outcrop.

Struggling to breath against the crushing power of the water, he tried to move.  
His legs wouldn't cooperate, but his arms flailed for purchase.  
He scrabbled, pulled and pushed.

And finally he moved.  
A bit sideways... and towards the downstream direction, not the bank.

But some movement was better than staying here while the river pounded the life out of him.

"Jack!" He looked sideways to see Sam scrambling down the river bank. He wanted to tell her to stay back. To be careful. So that she didn't end up in the river with him. But the crushing weight of the water prevented him from getting enough air in his lungs to speak.

And right then, he shifted again. Sideways again.  
And then the river swept him along.  
Away from her.

He caught a glimpse of the horrified look on her face and then he was dragged under.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	39. Planet Du Jour

- - -

_Author's Notes: Rewrote and reposted the end of Chapter 37 - nothing major, but I like it better now... :) ...This chapter (39), underwent many, many revisions and I hope that the finished product gives a good feeling for Daniel and Teal'c's ongoing search for Jack and Sam._

_Am currently working on the upcoming chapters... this story is now over 300 pages (at Times Roman 12pt font).... and I haven't reached the end yet! Muse has taken the story places that I never originally envisioned, and I hope that it has been entertaining reading._

_I want to thank everyone who has sent reviews, the feedback is greatly appreciated._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 39: PLANET DU JOUR**

- - -

For at least the next two weeks, SG-1 would be a team of four again. With SG-9 temporarily assigned to a multi-team mission to a planet with few large or exotic wildlife, Dr. Rider had requested a TDA with SG-1. Lt. Hailey's team, on the other hand, was currently on a two-week leave (that was six months overdue), and the Lt. had volunteered to spend her leave helping with the continued search for the General and the Colonel.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_P1X-172_

Water.  
Mud.

Water and Mud.  
Mud and Water.

Water...dripping, draining, pooling... everything was drenched.  
And the rain would _not_ stop!

Cold, wet and miserable.

Every step _squelched_.

They were soaked through and through. The military-issue rain-gear unable to withstand the intensity of the deluge. Daniel was feeling pretty wretched, but he'd seen wet cats that looked happier than Dragon did right now.

When they _did_ find the missing officers, all four of the searchers vehemently vowed to make sure that one General and one Colonel knew just how wet, muddy and miserable _this_ planet had been!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_P6X-402_

Ice.  
White, blinding ice and snow everywhere.

Frigidly cold.  
So cold that the air seemed brittle and ready to shatter.

At least they were not wet, Teal'c thought stoically as he scanned the surroundings while simultaneously maintaining a protective eye on his teammates.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_P3X-883_

Her words were whipped away by the biting wind.

Daniel signaled that he couldn't hear her.

In annoyance the zoologist stepped over to his side and put her mouth to his ear, "I said that I really miss that tropical planet with its sunny skies and sandy beaches."

He gave her an empathetic grin and put his mouth to her ear, "Can't argue with that!"

The rest of the walk back to the 'Gate was without conversation as they resorted to hand signals instead of trying to talk over the howling winds.

- - -

Stepping through the 'Gate and down onto the metal ramp of the SGC, the stunning quiet of the 'Gateroom was a stark contrast to the howling winds of the planet that they'd just left.

"Anything SG-1?" General Hammond asked from the control room.

Three heads shook slightly back and forth in a negative response while Teal'c answered verbally, "We did not find any signs of GeneralO'Neill or ColonelCarter."

"The natives were just as friendly as when we visited them four years ago, however," Daniel added. "They have people scattered throughout the region around the Stargate and they have not heard or seen of anyone matching Sam or Jack's description over the past couple of months."

"They do, however, have several types of wildlife and a few interesting types of plants that I believe merit sending a science team back for an in-depth study," Doctor Rider recommended.

Hammond nodded, "Allright people, get your post-mission physicals and a shower and something to eat. Debriefing in 3 hours.

"Yes sir," and several nods and a short wave accompanied the team's departure from the 'Gateroom.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_P7X-307_

Hot and humid.

It wasn't raining... but that was a technicality because the humidity was over 90 and it felt like they were walking through a sauna.

Everything drooped...clothing, postures and attitudes.  
Their clothes clung to them.  
Even the leaves on the plants hung heavily in the moist air.

And the bugs.  
Small ones, big ones.  
Noisy ones, quiet ones.  
Some were solitary while others moved in swarms or clouds.  
More varieties of bugs than Jennifer Hailey remembered on any other planet.

Each of the four explorers was cranky.  
Even the stolid, stoic Jaffa.  
And all were giving Lt. Hailey a wide berth.

When they reached the pre-determined turnaround point, no one argued in favor of walking another step away from the 'Gate.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_P5X-287_

"They are all so different," Jennifer commented as they sat on the top of a small cliff overlooking a dry wash.

"Mmm," Dragon agreed, not needing further explanation from the young officer. "The trips across hundreds and thousands of light years aren't as impressive as the differences in the weather, ecology, climate, wildlife... and natives."

"We can't see or feel the distances the same way we can experience the environments," the Lieutenant observed.

Dragon nodded, "I can't believe how lucky we are to have the chance to explore all of these alien worlds... the only down side is that we can't find any sign of O'Neill or Carter."

Jennifer glanced over and then her eyes dropped to her lap momentarily before returning to gaze out over the cliff. "I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for Colonel Carter," she spoke softly.

"I know," Dragon replied gently and then continued at the younger woman's questioning look, "Daniel told me about Carter taking you on a mission when you were still a cadet.... something about you having some kind of problem at the Academy. Anything to do with having to deal with the attitudes towards women in the military?"

Jennifer shook her head ruefully, "No actually, it was more of a problem with my impatience," and she shrugged and then added, "I was bored with the standard constraints of the military and the classroom. And... beings that I was headed into an astrophysics specialty, all I ever heard at the Academy was Sam Carter this and Sam Carter that...," and she winced a little in embarrassment.

"So...?" Dragon prompted.

"So then I met her," and the young woman rolled her eyes. "And she's nice! On top of everything else! She's brilliant, she's always the oh-so-proper military officer... and she's nice!"

"It would have been easier if she'd been an arrogant so-and-so?" Dragon offered.

"Absolutely, because I sooo wanted to hate her," Jennifer replied with chagrin and a few moments of silence passed before she added, "She took me offworld to show me why I needed to stay in the Air Force.... Why I needed to suck it up and swallow my impatience until I could graduate and join the SGC."

Teal'c listened to their conversation as his eyes scanned the dun-colored rocky cliffs and the hard-packed ground. Although there were ancient ruins here, they had not discovered any signs of recent civilization anywhere in the vicinity of the 'Gate. DanielJackson was quietly recording his observations in a journal while the women spoke softly off to the side.

Without needing to check his Tauri chronometer, the Jaffa announced, "We must now begin our return trip to the Stargate so that we will arrive at the expected time at the SGC."

The others silently nodded and quickly packed up any loose articles before beginning the trek back to the 'Gate.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_P8X-825_

Lt. Jennifer Hailey watched and observed as Doctor Jackson spoke with the Head Muckity-Muck of the local village. Both Daniel and Teal'c understood the local language while neither Jennifer nor Dragon could make heads or tails of it. All that Jennifer did know was that the local men were eying the two women in a way that made both the officer and zoologist wary and watchful.

Although Daniel had yet to pick up on the intense stares from the men, Teal'c was acutely aware of the rising tensions and had placed himself right behind the two women. Jennifer Hailey was not usually a woman who would accept such a gesture from a man, however, her time with the SGC had taught her that there were times when a 6'3" muscle man could be a tremendous asset offworld.

Suddenly Jennifer saw Daniel step back from the Head Muckity-Muck. The archeologist sent a concerned look over at the rest of his team. "Hey guys, I think we should...," and the rest of his words were lost as the scene erupted in movement, gunfire and staff blasts. The natives had some sort of ballistic projectile weapons that were similar to guns, although the bullets were more like inch-long needles.

The four SGC members quickly found cover and returned fire. Rapidly assembling a hasty retreat, Teal'c maintained a rear-guard defensive posture as they scrambled the half-mile back to the Stargate.

Doctor Rider dialed the DHD while the others provided cover fire. Once the familiar light blue event horizon was established, she followed Teal'c's silent hand signals and dove through the "Gate alongside Lt. Hailey. Quickly rolling out of the way, the two women watched as Daniel and Teal'c tumbled through, followed by another barrage of the needlelike projectiles.

"_Close The Iris_," four voices shouted in unison and the iris quickly spun shut.

An almost musical tinkling reached their ears as the last of the metal needles impacted against the trinium shield. With a final 'slwp', the event horizon snapped off and the 'Gateroom once more fell silent.

- - -

Jennifer leaned back against the thin infirmary pillow. Doctor Jackson lay on the bed to her right and Dragon lay on the bed to her left. Teal's stoically sat on the bed just beyond Dragon's.

Each of them had several punctures or 'piercings' from the needle-like projectiles. Teal'c had received the most. Jennifer knew that that was not because he was the biggest target, but rather because the Jaffa had deliberately shielded the others with his body.

In spite of the large man's selflessness, however, Daniel had four wounds, Dragon had three and Jennifer had six. They all stung sharply, although there was surprisingly little bleeding.

- - -

Hours later and the four sat and lay on the infirmary beds. The doctors had removed all of the needle-like projectiles. Although none of them had apparently sustained life-threatening injuries, the SGC doctors were holding the four overnight for observation as they waited for the results of the detailed blood tests. In addition, the doctors were wary of infection and had started all of them on a standard course of antibiotics. As always, they were fully aware that infections incurred offworld may not respond to standard Tauri antibiotics.

"Daniel?" Dragon called over Jennifer to the archeologist.

"Mmmhmm?" he replied.

"Strike that planet off the List of Galactic Vacation Spots," she sent over sarcastically.

"Allready done," he returned quickly.

"What was their problem anyway?" Jennifer asked querulously.

"A few years ago, their territory was seized and occupied by a powerful tribe that they had not previously encountered before. They have spent the past few years eking out a meager existence as itinerants and... pirates, I think," and he shrugged as he knew that he didn't have all of the details.

"Pirates?" Dragon sighed.

"Basically," he agreed, "And I'm sorry that I didn't figure it out earlier," he apologized.

"The fault is not yours DanielJackson," the Jaffa absolved the archeologist. "When SG-1 visited this world four years ago, the native communities gave no indication of the future that was before them. You could not have known."

"I'm still sorry that I took so long to pick up on...their intentions," and he glanced at the two women.

"They _were _giving us some pretty intense scrutiny," Jennifer agreed, "but to be honest, I think they were also staring pretty hard at both you and Teal'c. What do you think, Dragon?" and she turned to the other woman.

"Oh, Absolubitively!" the zoologist answered both playfully and seriously. "These two men were most definitely given very thorough visual examinations."

Daniel just smiled weakly while Teal'c refused to even raise an eyebrow.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - -

**As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
****www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm **(just replace the _dot_s with periods)  
_Episode 419 "Prodigy", Transcript by AQ_

**And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website**

- - -

- - -


	40. Severity

_- - - _

_And right then, he shifted again. Sideways again.  
__And then the river swept him along.  
__Away from her._

_He caught a glimpse of the horrified look on her face and then he was dragged under._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 40: SEVERITY**

- - -

Sometime it stopped.

He didn't know when.  
And he couldn't remember why.

But it stopped.

All was quiet.  
The roar and tumble of the water was gone.

He was face down in a patch of mud.

And he was quite content to lie there.  
Mud had never felt so good.

Quiet, unmoving mud.  
Flat. And soft.  
A perfect place for a nap.

* * *

And that's how she found him.

Face down in the mud.  
Just out of the reach of the roiling waters.

When he'd been snatched off that rock upstream, she'd followed as fast as she could through the undergrowth that followed the winding banks of the river.

Now, she quickly moved to his side. The river's edge was very gently sloping here and they wouldn't have to worry about another slide into the water.

"Jack!" she called out as she reached him.

He didn't move.

"Jack!" she tried again as she felt his neck for a pulse. He was cold, clammy and covered with the slippery mud. But he had a pulse... a bit slow, but it was there. He was also breathing... slow, shallow breaths, but he was breathing. Relief washed over her.

Bu then she sucked in a breath when she took in the unnatural angle of his legs and hips. Something was broken. Probably more than one something. A quick visual once-over revealed asundry scrapes and bruises, but no obvious signs of major bleeding.

Carefully she started checking for less obvious injuries. She started at his head and worked down... checking carefully and gently for injuries of any kind.

He had a small knot on his forehead.  
Collarbone and shoulder blades appeared OK.  
Neither arm was broken, but the right one was obviously dislocated.  
She didn't try to set it yet, she continued the overall assessment first.

She couldn't find any other obvious injuries from his waist up, but she couldn't check the front of his ribcage because he was lying on his stomach.

She stopped at his waist and surveyed the angle of his legs again.  
Broken. Both of them.  
And maybe something in the hip and/or pelvis region as well.

She closed her eyes for a moment.

There was no way that they were kitted out to deal with the severity of his injuries. 

They needed a hospital, doctors... and probably surgeons.

She opened her eyes again and took a deep breath.  
First things first.

She needed to prevent shock. Get him warm and dry.  
Set the shoulder.  
Splint the broken bones.  
And somehow get him back to camp.

She looked up at the sky with an experienced eye. More rain was likely. And it could start anytime. She wouldn't be able to deal with his injuries on this muddy riverbank if another deluge started. She needed to get him back to camp.

First things first.

- - - -

She sprinted back to camp and packed a rucksack with the medkit, two sleeping bags, some extra clothes, some straps and some of their homemade rope. Next, she located the bundle of aluminum poles and canvas that would make the lightweight stretcher that had been packed in with the supplies for the Safe Planet (P5X-846). Finally, she quickly knocked down the second tent (the one that they didn't sleep in, but just stored supplies in), and scavenged the tent poles for use as splints.

- - - -

Only twenty-five minutes passed between her departure and her return.  
He hadn't woken up.

She stared at his mangled form.

Steeling herself for what had to happen next, she gently slipped four of the straps under his feet and then slid them slowly up and under him, so that they were positioned at roughly 6-10 inches apart and laying flat on the ground. The slippery mud assisted her movements so that the straps slid fairly easily and did not jostle his broken bones. Repeating her actions, she slipped four more of the straps under his head and then slid the straps into position at intervals under his torso.

Next, she gently packed clothing around and between his legs, very careful to not move or jostle him any more than necessary. After that, she did the same for his dislocated shoulder; packing clothing in and around the damaged arm.

After double-checking everything, she lay one of the sleeping bags over his back and then carefully anchored it in place with half of the straps that she'd slid under his body. Those straps now wrapped under and then around him and held the sleeping bag and other 'packing material' in place.

Finally, she lay the stretcher on top of the sleeping bag and used the remaining straps to anchor it in place. With one final strap across his forehead, she secured his head in place and to the stretcher. The stretcher now served as a makeshift backboard, and she held his body as motionless as possible as she rotated him over onto his back.

With the sleeping bag and stretcher now under him, she gently lay the second sleeping bag over him for warmth and then secured it with some lengths of their homemade rope. After again double-checking everything, and ensuring that he would not slide off, she picked up the front end of the one-man stretcher and began dragging her charge back towards their clearing.

She moved slowly and took great pains to minimize all movements that might jar or jostle him. She set a course straight to one of the paths that they'd worn along the river while hunting game. Once on their path, progress was a bit easier.

Seventy-five minutes later and she finally arrived at camp with the stretcher-cum-travois in her wake. He had groaned a few times along the way, but hadn't woken.

She had barely placed him under the shelter when the rain started again. And it was another downpour. Sighing with relief that she'd gotten him back to camp before the rain, she turned her attention to unstrapping the ropes holding him to the stretcher and the top sleeping bag. Once she had him uncovered, she checked him over carefully for additional injuries. Unlike their accidental excursion in Antarctica, he couldn't hide his broken ribs from her this time.

She sat back.

Assorted bruises and abrasions.  
A small knot on the temple.  
Several broken ribs.  
A dislocated shoulder.  
Two broken legs.  
And something _was_ broken on the right side of his hip.  
She couldn't tell how many pieces were involved.

At least nothing was bleeding profusely.

Externally, that is. She couldn't assess internal injuries.

She considered whether to take his wet clothes off first or to try and deal with some of his injuries. Frankly, she couldn't think of how she was going to get his clothes off without causing more injury... and lots of pain. If they were in a hospital, they would just cut his clothes off, but here they didn't have the luxury of too many extra sets of clothes, so she hesitated... in search of alternative solutions.

Finally, she decided to reset his dislocated shoulder first. Doing it while he was unconscious would spare him the fore-knowledge of the pain... and then she could at least save his shirt and jacket.

She felt around his shoulder gently while analyzing and planning the necessary movements. When she was ready, she situated herself with some leverage, gritted her teeth, "Sorry about this, Jack," and she quickly pulled -_hard_- and then slipped the arm back into its socket.

He groaned and mumbled something.

She stopped and watched his face carefully.

He groaned again and then his eyelids fluttered.

"Jack?" she asked softly.

"Owww," he muttered in a half-growl, half-groan.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she returned empathetically.

"Cold," he managed and squinted his eyes.

"We should be able to do something about that soon," and she gave him a small smile.

"What happened?" he asked as his eyes found hers.

"You went for a swim," she replied dryly.

"Swimming usually doesn't hurt so much," he objected.

"Not usually," she agreed sympathetically while watching his eyes and assessing his current mental acuity.

"How bad is it?" he asked soberly.

"Not good," she admitted and then continued, "You've got a bump on the head, a dislocated shoulder, some broken ribs...," and her voice trailed off for a moment before continuing, "and some broken bones in your legs and hip," she finished softly.

He didn't reply immediately, but then, "That would explain why it hurts," he understated. But he was looking at her seriously. At least that was one thing, she thought. He didn't appear to have a concussion. She was afraid to give him any strong painkillers until they knew for sure, however.

She met his eyes and nodded. Not looking forward to what she had to do next. Because splinting his legs ... was going to cause him more pain. Much, much more pain. In many ways she would have preferred it if he'd stayed unconscious for awhile longer.

"How about we get some of these wet clothes off before we work on the legs?" she suggested and he just nodded. With what little assistance he could provide, she got his wet jacket and shirt off and then replaced them with dry ones.

He lay back afterwards, with his eyes closed. The pain was obvious - the movements having caused aggravation and pain with both his broken ribs and sore shoulder.

The wet pants, unfortunately, she had to cut off. There was no way to pull them off with his broken legs and hip. Even after she'd cut the pants (and underwear) apart however, he was still lying on them. She wouldn't be able to get them out from under him until after she'd splinted his legs. She quickly covered his pelvic region with a dry pair of shorts before he could protest about his exposure. For added warmth, she pulled the sleeping bag over his torso and pelvic regions, while leaving his legs exposed so that she could work on the splints.

Next, she paused. His legs needed to be splinted, but she would probably cause more damage to his injured or shattered hip while splinting his legs. Despair washed over her at the extent of his injuries. Severe injuries that would take months of healing and months of physical therapy – and that was if they were back on Earth with its medical personnel and technology. Here... what could they do? What were his chances with their survival medkit and first aid knowledge? Tears threatened and she struggled to contain her emotions.

She pulled in a shaky breath and let it out slowly as she tried to force herself to focus on the next immediate task, to leave the worry of the days and weeks ahead... for the days and weeks ahead. And then... she thought of something... and hope bloomed in her chest. If that could work... even a little... then he might have a chance, a real chance, of recovering from these injuries even though they were stranded here light years from any medical professionals or technology.

She glanced up at his face, "Jack, I'm going to try and see if I can...," and she groped for words.

"What?" he prompted.

She looked away for a moment and then back again and then replied, "I'm going to try and see if I can... heal some of this... like the night when you had the fever."

"No," he sent back firmly.

"It might not work, but-," she started.

"No!" he repeated.

"Jack, we have to try. I can't splint your legs or even move you around much right now without possibly making things worse. And we need to get you dry and warm – real soon," she explained carefully.

"No!" and then he continued before she could, "Sam last time you were out of it for two days. This time my injuries are worse – it might kill you. I'm not willing to take that chance!"

"Well I am," she replied softly.

"Sam, I won't let you trade your life for mine," he returned emphatically.

"Jack, I don't think we're going to make it if we don't try this," she stated slowly and with a serious expression. "If you have internal bleeding, we can't stop it. Even if you don't, you'll be laid up for months with two broken legs and a broken hip. And if any of the bones don't set right, then you might not be able to ever walk without constant pain – if you can even walk."

He stared at her and then softly replied, "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Jack-," and then she stopped and her head whipped around to his legs and then back to his face. Narrowing her eyes a little, she stared straight into his eyes and asked, "Can you feel your legs?"

"Sam-," he started and then stopped when she gasped in horror as it hit her. He was talking to her so calmly while he had two broken legs and a broken hip... not to mention the broken ribs. She knew he could mask the pain of the ribs, he'd proven that in Antarctica. But the two broken legs and the broken hip should have either caused more visible pain – or simply caused him to pass out. His breath was a little ragged from the movement of the broken ribs and his voice was a little strained, but he was talking to her... as if he couldn't feel the pain in his legs.

His eyes couldn't hide the truth from her.  
He couldn't feel his legs.

"What _can_ you feel?" she asked with trepidation and he didn't answer immediately. "Jack?" she prompted gently but firmly.

He glanced away before answering, "Nothing below the waist," he admitted and she closed her eyes again for a moment.

It could be her fault. She could have caused more damage when she moved him here from the river bank. You're never supposed to move someone who might have a spinal injury.... but they didn't have any medical facilities. There was just the two of them. She didn't have a choice. She'd had to move him. And that movement could have been what caused his paralysis.

"It's not your fault, Sam," he tried to absolve her of the guilt he knew she was assuming.

She opened her eyes and met his.

Silence passed between them.

"Jack, we're not going to survive here if you can't walk. We need to see if I can help heal at least part of this," she insisted.

He studied her and she simply waited, resolute.

He finally nodded in resignation.

She gave him a grateful look of reassurance and then gently laid her hand on his broken hip. She tried to remember the feelings in her hand when they'd lain in the tent in the cold early morning hours.

Jack watched apprehensively.

But nothing happened.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax.  
Trying to recreate the sensations in her palm.

But there was nothing.

She sat back, discouraged.  
He couldn't help feeling relieved.

"It's OK, Sam," he reassured her. "We'll figure something out," he repeated what he'd said earlier.

She looked down and then over at his face, thoughtfully. "Let me try one more thing," and she moved over to kneel next to his chest. He watched her questioningly and she gave him a small smile and then slid her hand under his shirt.

He gasped as the chill of her cold hand lay against his chest.

"Sorry," she winced a little in apology and then pressed gently while feeling for his heartbeat. Closing her eyes again, she concentrated on the sensations of his heart pulsing through his chest and into her hand.

And then she felt the prickles...and the itching... and tingling.  
Prepared this time, she didn't open her eyes or pull her hand away.  
She relaxed and focused on his heartbeat.

He watched her face.  
First thoughtful and focused.  
And then she relaxed and she almost looked like she was asleep.

Something caught his eye and he looked down.

His eyes widened in astonishment at the soft green glow leaking out from the collar of his shirt.

A warmth was spreading across his chest and his mind grew fuzzy.  
His thoughts became difficult to focus on.

A part of his mind warned him that they should stop.  
That there was danger here.  
But he was incapable of speaking or moving.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Time passed slowly in that soggy clearing  
... as the rain-shrouded evening lost its last grey light of the day  
... and slipped into night.

Unnoticed by either of the two Tauri.  
One lying prone.  
The other kneeling by his side.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

_- - - _

Author's note: I've had a couple of various types of first aid courses... and, hopefully, I had Sam handling things as well as can be expected given the conditions and limitations of their situation. For anything that I got wrong, I apologize to any medical professionals who read this and groaned and moaned at my medical blunders. What does a geologist know about medicine anyway? (looks sheepish)

_- - - _


	41. Vigil

_A warmth was spreading across his chest and his mind grew fuzzy.  
__His thoughts became difficult to focus on.  
__A part of his mind warned him that they should stop.  
__That there was danger here.  
__But he was incapable of speaking or moving._

- - -

_Time passed slowly in that soggy clearing  
_... _as the rain-shrouded evening lost its last grey light of the day  
_... _and slipped into night. _

_Unnoticed by either of the two Tauri.  
__One lying prone.  
__The other kneeling by his side._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 41: VIGIL**

- - -

He awoke to darkness.  
And a difficulty breathing.

He moved slowly.  
Something was on him.  
No... it was actually some_one_.

"Sam?" he shook her gently, but she didn't respond.

Slowly the events of the day came back to him.  
The landslide.  
His trip down the river.  
His injuries.  
Her attempt to heal him.

He fumbled for her pulse and the cold clamminess of her skin sent a tendril of fear roiling through his stomach.

Faint, very faint, but it was there.  
He counted her breaths... slow... very slow.  
And she was cold. Ice cold.  
She was still in the cold, wet and muddy clothes from earlier in the day.

"Sam?" and there was still no response. He needed to get her in the tent and into some warm and dry. And then he remembered his injuries. 'How were they going to handle this?' he asked himself disconsolately.

Slowly he slid her off of his chest and laid her gently on the ground by his side. Experimentally, he took a deeper breath... and was shocked when there were no sharp pains from his broken ribs. Taking another deeper breath, and again not receiving any signs of sharp pains, he experimentally ran his hands over his ribs and pushed down gently. A little sore, but...the pain of the shifting bones was gone.

She'd healed his ribs!

And his arm... he slowly rotated his shoulder... again, there was only a remnant of soreness from the dislocation.

But then he remembered his legs and gritted his teeth... and tried to move his right leg.

It moved.  
And he felt it!

Propping himself up on his elbows he watched his legs as he slowly moved his feet a little, looking and feeling for the damage. Sliding his hand down, he felt his hip and pushed down gently. Just that same soreness. No signs of broken bones.

She'd healed him!  
He lay there for a moment in amazement.

Although the rain had stopped, a cold breeze blew gently through camp and he shivered and snapped back to the necessity of the present. He needed to get them both inside the tent and warm and dry.

Pushing himself into a more vertical sitting position, a wave of dizziness swam over him as his heart couldn't compensate for the change in position fast enough. He waited a moment and the faintness passed.

He quickly peeled her outer cold, muddy clothes off of her, leaving her in her basically dry T-shirt and underwear. Next, he swiftly moved her inside the tent and dressed her with some warm socks and a wool cap before slipping her under the covers. One thing that he'd learned about sleeping with Sam Carter was that she was warmer -and he was happier- when her feet were warm.

Finally, he slipped under the covers and wrapped her in his arms and pulled the sleeping bags tightly around them to conserve what little body heat they had left.

She lay limply in his arms.  
As cold as ice.  
Showing no signs of consciousness.  
Her breaths were so shallow and slow, that he had to hold his own breath to feel hers.

He rubbed his hands and arms up and down her back, trying to incite her circulation.

Slowly, very slowly, the temperature under the covers warmed up.  
Slowly, she warmed beside him.  
He held her snugly.  
Talking softly about this and that in the darkness.  
She didn't reply, but he kept up the one-sided dialogue.

An hour passed.  
And then another.  
He didn't fall asleep.  
He couldn't take the chance.  
He couldn't take the chance that she'd fade away while he slept.

So he held her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He watched the inky darkness shade to grey as the early morning gloaming pushed back the night. He watched the tent walls become more and more visible as the light slowly increased.

She still lay limply in his arms.  
Barely breathing.  
But she _was_ breathing.  
And he clung to that.

With the reassurance of the dawning morning, he carefully slipped from beneath the covers and then pulled on additional clothes before heading outside for the medkit. Returning with the thermometer, he readied it and then held it in her mouth and under her tongue while she slept.

96.5 degrees.  
A little on the cold side.  
But not out of the normal range for someone lying prone and asleep.

He stared at her.  
Wondering what was happening.

She had healed him... and now she appeared to be in some kind of deep sleep... if not a coma... but he wasn't a doctor and he didn't know what to look for.

What had allowed her to heal him?  
What did she need to recuperate?  
His thoughts drifted along through the questions that he didn't have answers for.

And then he shook himself back to the present.  
He needed to get some hot water and food cooking.

He tucked the covers snuggly around her and with one last look, he headed outside.

- - - -

He surveyed the disarray.

Wet and muddy clothes were glued to the ground. Medical stocks were strewn around. Their supply tent was collapsed and he recognized that she'd pulled the tent poles to use for possible splints and whatever other support might have been necessary.

His eyes stopped at the stretcher-cum-travois and he realized that she'd had to drag him back to camp. He must have been unconscious for that entire trip.

His mind skipped through flashes of memory... of the ground liquefying beneath him... of the pain when something in the river slammed into him and tore him from his grip on the rope... of the tumultuous trip downriver... being pulled under... struggling to snatch a breath... slamming into trees and rocks... being pinned against the boulder... and then sliding off of it... that glimpse of Sam on the riverbank... and then... more water... and then blackness... until he woke up here, with her looking down at him.

He wondered how far he'd traveled downriver.  
And how far she'd had to haul him to get back to camp.

He gingerly felt his ribs again. Sore, but definitely not broken. And he was standing and walking, so his legs and hips were definitely healed.

He assessed his present condition. Various scrapes and bruises with general achiness and soreness in assorted asundry locations. A bump on his head that was sore to the touch, but he'd definitely had worse, so he wasn't worried about that.

On the whole, all of his major injuries were healed. And she hadn't died trying to repair him. At least not yet. She seemed to be in some kind of deep sleep. All he could do was keep her warm and dry and wait for her to wake up.

Sighing, he set to starting the fire and then cleaning up. When things were put away and/or were laid out to start drying, he checked on Sam again and then turned back to the next immediate task.

Water.

They still needed water.

He fished out the last few water bottles and headed down to the river.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The scene of destruction was truly amazing.

A gaping wound was scooped out of the side of the riverbank.

The immense concave hole was the only evidence of the formerly peaceful river bank that they'd spent so many hours fishing -and napping- on.

He spied the rope that she'd tied to a tree and he pulled it up, finding the full water bottles still tied to the end. He stared at them in amazement. How had they stayed attached? Shaking his head, he walked to the edge of the landslide scarp and peered down at the river. The water level had dropped considerably overnight. The water from the quick deluge had been efficiently flushed downstream. He wondered what Jack's Lake looked like right now?

Now, the river actually looked almost peaceful.  
Although still muddy, unfortunately.

Turning, he untied the muddy rope and picked up the water bottles and then headed back to camp.

- - - -

Straining the water through two 'relatively clean' t-shirts, he got as much mud out as possible and then set the water to boiling.

Repeated checks on Sam had showed no change. Similar to the morning after his fever had finally broken, she was solidly asleep.

Once he'd restocked their water supplies and forced himself to eat something, he put the fire out and rejoined her in the tent. Crawling under the covers with her, he wrapped her in his arms again.

"That was a damn-fool thing to do, Sam," he muttered to her as he finally dropped off to sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He awoke slowly.  
The warmth of the sleeping bags cocooned around him.  
His right arm wrapped around her.  
He tightened his grip a little and took a slow breath.

Slowly the memories returned.

He pulled back a little so that he could look at her face.  
She was still sound asleep.

He listened and felt for her breaths.  
Still slow and even.

Checking his watch, he saw that they'd slept through lunch and that it was now 1655... approaching dinner time. With the long hours of daylight on this planet, he could afford to wait a few hours... in the hopes that she'd awaken and he could get some hot food into her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The hours passed, however, and she showed no signs of waking up.

He worriedly continued to check her breathing, heartbeat and temperature.  
And the results stayed the same.  
Slow, slow, and slightly low.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He boiled some water for hot drinks and a hot supper.  
But he ate alone.

He quietly cleaned up and returned to the tent and his silent vigil over her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The night passed uneventfully and he again awoke with her in his arms.

Hopefully, he scanned her face in the early morning light.  
But he could see no change.  
She still lay limply and without movement.

An idea sparked in his mind.  
He rested his hand over her heart.  
As she'd done with him the other afternoon.

He remembered her description of her feelings and the sensations.  
He felt for her heartbeat.  
Felt for the vibrations through her chest and into his palm.  
So faint.  
Fear washed through him again.

The vibrations were so faint, but they _were_ there,  
...and he tried to take solace from that fact.

Soft, muted thumps pressed gently against his palm.

Remembering her description, he felt for anything resembling a tingling or prickling.

But he didn't feel any such thing.

He looked at his hand.

No glow.  
No green glow.  
No blue glow.  
No red, orange or purple glow.  
No glow of any kind.

No tingling, prickling, itching or glowing.

He closed his eyes in defeat.

Perhaps it only worked one way.  
Perhaps it couldn't be given back.

He wondered what 'it' was.  
Energy of some sort?  
Lifeforce?

He smiled faintly as he realized that his thoughts were wandering in directions usually the sole domain of one Dr. Sam Carter... and not one Jack O'Neill.

Turning his eyes back to her, he scrutinized her face again.

He could see no change from the previous day.

Worried and discouraged, he spent the early morning hours just holding her.

Finally getting up, he set to the morning tasks.  
Build the fire. Boil some water. Eat something.

He policed their campsite.  
Checked the alarm system.

Standing in the middle of the clearing, he looked around.  
At the tents. One collapsed, one still standing.  
At the stacks of supplies.  
At their shelter.

His eyes traveled over the trees...over the low grass and weeds.  
Up to the sky, which only had a few clouds today.

The sun was brightening the clearing quickly and he realized that things may actually get a chance to dry out thoroughly. He strung up a clothesline and quickly hung out their wet clothes and other paraphernalia.

And then his movements faded to a halt again and he stood motionless.

The quiet made his heart ache.

He ran a hand through his hair.

What would he do if she didn't come out of whatever state she was in?

The silence echoed back at him as the ache in his heart intensified.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	42. Incremental

_And then his movements faded to a halt again and he stood motionless.  
__The quiet made his heart ache.  
__He ran a hand through his hair.  
__What would he do if she didn't come out of whatever state she was in?  
__The silence echoed back at him as the ache in his heart intensified._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 42: INCREMENTAL**

- - -

That second day passed without any signs of improvement from Sam. Jack stayed in the tent except when dealing with camp chores. He spent his time watching her or trying to play one-person card games. Eventually this devolved into trying to pitch the cards accurately into her upside-down baseball cap.

The hours passed slowly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He awoke and didn't open his eyes. In the warmth of the sleeping bags, with her lying cradled in his arms, he could almost pretend that she was just simply asleep.

He took a deep breath and just let himself feel her lying against him.  
Her breaths still slow and soft.

He was scared.  
Scared she was never going to wake up.  
But then he felt her breaths, and each one was his lifeline.

He slowly opened his eyes and studied her peaceful face for the thousandth time in the past few days.

Once again, he moved his hand over her chest and felt for her heartbeat.  
And it was there.  
Faint, but softly beating.

He closed his eyes and relaxed.  
Focusing on the gentle pulses from her heart.

Waiting and hoping for some tingling or itching in his hand.  
Praying for that green glow.

But as with the several other times he'd tried it,  
...nothing happened.  
No itching, no tingling... no glowing.

He sighed again and lay there quietly with his hand on her heart.  
Living for each soft pulse.

- - - - -

The brightness of the light in the tent told him that he'd slept well past dawn.  
And that didn't bother him in the least.  
There was no urgent or pressing camp business for him to attend to.

His main task was his vigil at her side.

And so he waited.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A soft sound.

He froze.

He heard it again.

Just barely more than a sigh.

He moved over to her side.  
Watching her intently.

And then he heard it again.  
A very soft, airy moan.

"Sam?" and then he held his breath, straining for the faintest sounds.

Silence answered him.

The moments passed, but he didn't hear it again.  
He slumped forward dejectedly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Movement in his peripheral vision.  
His head snapped around and he stared at her intently.

And then she moved again.  
Just a little.  
But she moved.

He knelt by her side once more.

"Sam?" his voice almost cracked.

A groan.  
Nothing could have been sweeter music to his ears.

"Yes!" he exclaimed loudly.

She moaned something unintelligible.  
And he couldn't stop the face-splitting grin he was wearing.

"Sam?" he shook her shoulder gently.

"Mthhbk..," was the mumbled reply.

"Sa-a-am," he sing-songed while shaking her gently for a second time. "Come 'on, time to wake up. You've clocked enough sack time for a week or two..."

Her eyelids fluttered and she looked up at him blearily, "Wha-?" and she almost managed a complete word.

"Hey there," he sent back softly.

She blinked several times to bring his fuzzy image into focus, "Hi," she finally managed with a smile tickling the edges of her mouth.

"Hi," he returned happily.

She blinked a few more times and then started to speak again, "Wha-," but she coughed as the words tickled and irritated her dry throat.

Recognizing her problem immediately, Jack grabbed a canteen he had kept ready and she moved a hand feebly towards it, but her hand fell back, too weak.

"It's ok," he spoke soothingly, "You're going to have to take it slow," and he pulled over a stack of gear to lean against and then gently pulled her into a reclining position with her back propped against his chest. Reaching around her, he carefully tilted the canteen so that she could get some water without spilling it down her front.

After only a few sips, she relaxed against him limply and closed her eyes. He set the canteen down and wrapped his arms around her.

"Sam?" he broke the silence.

"Yeah," she returned without opening her eyes.

He leaned his head back and closed his own eyes. "I just needed to hear your voice," he explained.

"Mm...," and that turned into a soft sigh as she drifted off back to sleep.

- - - -

He held her like that for awhile and then gently laid her back down.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Just a little over three hours later and she awoke again.  
And stayed awake for ten minutes before drifting back to sleep.

He managed to get some more water into her.

And now, he was waiting with hot water simmering and some food ready to be warmed up. He intended to get some hot drink and food into her the next time she came around.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An hour and half later and she moved and moaned softly.  
He was by her side instantly.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," he greeted her.

"Hey," she returned, her voice thick with sleep.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Tired," she replied while still blinking the bleary sleep from her eyes.

He smiled at her, "I've got some tea and some hot food for you – I'll be right back," and he slipped outside to stoke the fire to quickly reheat everything.

Sticking his head back in the tent, "Don't fall back asleep on me," he ordered.

"Yes sir," came the response conditioned by so many years as his 2IC and he smiled.

A few minutes later, he returned to find her with her eyes closed. "Sam?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied softly and without opening her eyes.

"Dinner's ready," and he set the cups down.

She opened her eyes and looked at the food and drink. "I am pretty thirsty," she admitted.

He sat down against the piles of gear and gently pulled her up and into that reclining position against his chest.

She sagged against him, "Wow, I feel so... weak..."

"It's ok, we just need to get some food and water into you," he assured her and then carefully held the warm tea for her. As before, she took a couple of sips and then lay back, resting. He patiently waited and then he coaxed her to take a few more sips. This cycle repeated until she'd finally swallowed half of the liquid in the cup.

Gauging her exhaustion, he abandoned the rest of the liquid and turned to the hot food... which had cooled considerably, but was still warm. "Sam," and he gently shook her as he held a spoonful for her.

"Not hungry," she sighed.

"Sam, please? You haven't eaten in over three days," he pleaded with her.

"Three days?" came back thickly and he knew she was falling back asleep.

"Sam!" and he shook her more firmly and she blinked her eyes. "Sam, please, just eat a little – for me? Please?"

She blinked again and focused her eyes on the spoonful he was holding for her. Seeing that he had her attention, he moved the spoon forward and she allowed him to feed her. She didn't even try to argue that she could handle it herself.

As with the water, he coaxed her into eating a little more and then just a little more. All told, she only ate a few ounces, but it was a start.

When they were done, she fell asleep on his chest.  
She'd been awake for over a half hour.  
She'd eaten and drank.

Hope started to bloom in his chest.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She woke again three and a half hours later.  
And he again coaxed her into a half a cup of tea and a few ounces of solid food.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He awoke when she moved in his arms.

"Hey," he smiled in the dark.

"Hi," her voice was soft and sleepy.

He checked his watch. 0315.

"How do you feel?" he asked her the same question he'd asked each time she woken up.

"Like I got run over by a platoon of Jaffa," she sent back through the dark.

He smiled – that was the longest answer she'd given him yet. "Good to hear you're feeling better," he sent as he groped above his head for his flashlight. Finding it, he snapped it on and she groaned and buried her face against his chest.

Reluctantly he pulled away from her, "Be back in a sec," he promised as he slipped out of their cocoon and pulled on some more clothes.

"Where are you going?" she asked muzzily.

"Just going to get a little food and drink, I'll be right back," he replied with a small smile of affection.

"You don't have to do that now, it's the middle of the night," she protested.

"Doesn't matter," he countered. "You're awake now, you're going to eat a little," he sent over his shoulder as he unzipped the tent.

She groaned, but didn't argue further.

- - - -

She weakly held her hand on the cup, and didn't protest his support or assistance. She looked like she wanted to try feeding herself too, but she was still too weak and didn't argue when he fed her again.

Afterwards, she lay back against him.  
Weak and exhausted after having done so little.

"Jack?"

"Mmmhmmm?"

"Thank you," she sent him a drowsy thanks as she slipped back into sleep.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	43. Mortality

_Afterwards, she lay back against him.  
__Weak and exhausted after having done so little._

"_Jack?"_

"_Mmmhmmm?"_

"_Thank you," she sent him a drowsy thanks as she slipped back into sleep._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 43: MORTALITY**

- - -

He awoke the next morning to the comfortable warmth of her in his arms.

As he'd done each of the previous mornings, he listened carefully for her breaths.

And this time, they were stronger.  
More definite. More full.

He savored a few moments in the early morning quiet, listening and feeling her slow and even breaths.

Mentally he tallied the days.  
This was the fourth morning after his trip down the river.

She was improving.  
Marginally, but incrementally each time she woke up.

She moved in her sleep and his heart warmed hopefully.  
She seemed to be sleeping more normally now.  
No longer in the coma-like unconsciousness of the first three days.

He relaxed and watched her as the early morning light slowly brightened.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Mm..," she made a soft sound and moved again in his arms.

"Good morning," he said softly.

Her eyes blinked and then focused on him. "Morning," and she gave him a soft smile.

"How do you feel?" he asked that same old question.

And she rolled her eyes, "Still tired, but better," she assured him.

He gave her a small grin and then slid out from under the covers. "I'll get the fire going and whip up a little breakfast," as he pulled on some warmer clothes.

- - - -

With hot food and drinks for both of them, he made his way back into the tent to find that she was still awake and had actually pulled herself up to lean against the stack of gear.

He gave her a smile, "Feeling better?"

She nodded and then added, "Before I eat anything though... I need to...," and her voice trailed off and he looked at her questioningly and she grimaced and looked a bit embarrassed. And it dawned on him.

"Right, of course," he replied and kept his tone casual, because he knew that she wasn't embarrassed about having to use the facilities, she was embarrassed about needing help.

"It's just that... I think I'm going to need a little help... getting there," she elaborated and confirmed what he knew of his generally self-sufficient companion.

"No problem," he returned quickly and dug out a warm jacket for her and then some trousers, warmer socks and her boots. When they had her bundled and ready to go outside, she lay back exhausted again.

He gave her a few moments to recuperate and then asked, "Ready?"

She nodded but he could see the uncertainty on her face. The extent of her overwhelming exhaustion and weakness was difficult for her to deal with.

To her surprise, he reached down and tugged on the sleeping bag beneath her. Sliding her and the bag over to the tent door, he unzipped the tent, stepped out and then leaned back in and carefully picked her up. Once upright, he moved a little to adjust her weight more comfortably in his arms and then asked, "How's that?"

"I'm fine, but I'm just the passenger – How are you?" she asked with a small smile as she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck for stability.

"Oh, I'm just peachy," he replied as he carefully picked his way across the clearing and into the woods where they'd set up their latrine. "But it's a good thing that you hardly weigh anything... and that the facilities are not far away," he added.

- - - - -

Once there, she'd insisted on managing most things by herself and she now lay exhausted and limp in his arms for the short trek back to camp.

Back at the tent, she let him take her jacket and shoes off and slide her back under the covers. Recognizing that she wanted to go back to sleep, however, he tugged her into a sitting position against their gear. "Don't fall asleep," he ordered. "I'm going to heat the food back up, it will just take a few minutes."

"Yes sir," a weak and tired voice drifted up to him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rest of the day passed quietly.  
Sam would sleep for two-three hours and then be awake for a half-hour to an hour.

Jack made her eat and drink something each time she awoke and then they would talk... although she was still so tired that Jack supplied most of the conversation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The fifth and sixth days since his swim in the river were similar to the fourth, but with each passing day, Sam was awake for longer and longer periods. She also no longer allowed him to feed her... or dress her for when she had to go outside.

He watched her progress with relief... and yet, at the same time, he couldn't help feeling that he was losing something. Because, to be honest, he liked the closeness that they'd had when he was taking care of her. He _liked_ helping her... and as she grew stronger, she also grew more independent.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He was watching her sleep again. She was stretched out in the afternoon sun...just a simple nap as she continued to convalesce and grow steadily stronger each day.

He stood slowly and worked the kinks out of his muscles. The soreness and stiffness from his healed bruises, scrapes and broken bones were just a fading echo of what should have taken long months to heal.

The severity of his injuries and how quickly it all happened had crashed down on him over the past few days. His memory replayed the image of her face with the despair and horror in her eyes when she'd realized the true extent of his injuries.

The two of them were too vulnerable here alone. This planet generally appeared so innocuous... that he had fallen into a false sense of security. The landslide and river-run had been a jolting nightmare.

And yet, here they were now. He was healed... and she was recuperating.

Every step he took, he took with a new found gratitude... those horrifying moments of thinking that he might never walk again replaying in his mind... reminding him of how close they'd come to true disaster... reminding him how lucky he was to be walking around.

They had beaten death many times over the years... they'd each actually _been_ dead on several occasions... but this time felt different... it was more emotionally heartwrenching... somehow, there was more to lose now...

He stretched his arms and legs for the sheer pleasure of being able to do so, and enjoyed every sensation in each muscle and joint. Even each creak and ache. He couldn't help the smile that was tilting the corners of his mouth as he realized that they had somehow received _another_ 'Get Out Of Jail Free Card'. How many would they get? Over the years, he had grown fairly flippant about injuries and death and such.

This time however, he had felt it in a way that hadn't touched his heart in a decade. As his eyes settled on her sleeping form again, some well-known song lyrics haunted his reverie...

..._and he said someday I hope you get the chance  
_..._to live like you were dying.  
_..._Like tomorrow was a gift... and you got eternity to think about  
_..._what'd you do with it?... what did you do with it? _

..._and I watched an eagle as it was flying  
_..._and all the sudden going fishin  
_..._wasn't such an imposition _

and he saw her fish flapping in his face and heard her asking if she should zat it...

..._and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter  
_..._and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying  
_..._and I became a friend a friend would like to have _

and images of the hours spent talking with her over the past weeks flashed before his eyes

..._and he said someday I hope you get the chance  
_..._to live like you were dying.  
_..._Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about  
_..._what'd you do with it?... what did you do with it? _

What would you do with it?  
What would you do with it?  
What would you do with it?

The lyrics echoed in his mind, hauntingly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the ninth day since the accident, he looked across the fire at her. She was still weak and she tired easily, and he figured that afternoon naps were going to be a part of their days for awhile. But her progress left him no doubt that she would have a full recovery.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?" she answered easily.

"We need to talk about what happened," he broached the topic that he'd wanted to talk about all week. But he'd waited until she was stronger, and more clear-headed.

She looked over at him quizzically, "Which part? The landslide, your river run-," she started listing options and he cut in.

"The green glowy thing," he specified.

She looked at him steadily and then shrugged, "I can't explain it... it just... happened..."

He nodded, knowing that she didn't know why it worked, "Sam, I tried it on you," and when he saw her furrowed brow he explained, "When you wouldn't wake up... I put my hand on your chest and I tried as hard as I could to help you the way you'd helped me, but nothing happened."

He could see her mulling that over before she responded, "Perhaps it only works one way – from the one who's healing to the one who's injured. Maybe you can't send it back, so to speak," she postulated and he nodded agreement with his earlier unspoken theory.

"Or perhaps it _is_ you," he suggested. "And not me. Maybe it has nothing to do with my experience with the library of the Ancients...?"

She considered his words, but then shook her head, "I can't see a reason why I would suddenly be able to heal you in a way similar to what Aiyana did when we were in Antarctica. Or how you healed Bra'tac...," she paused for a breath, "The naquadah in my blood is not enough by itself to explain this... I still think that it's more likely that it has something to do with how you were altered by that Ancient download."

"Maybe it's a combination of factors," she continued, musing outloud. "Maybe it has something to do with this planet... something that exists here... something that's in the food or water... or perhaps it's that _and_ what has happened to both of us over the years...?"

"So, even though the Asgard 'fixed' me... and I don't feel like I did when I healed Bra'tac... maybe I could heal you if you were injured?" he proposed.

"Maybe...," and she looked thoughtfully into the fire. "There's no good way to test that, though... at least not until I get injured or sick."

A few moments of silence passed and then he asked, "Sam, do you ever get the feeling... that we're... connected... you and me?" and he winced a bit at the inadequateness of the words.

She studied him for a moment and then nodded, "When I read the report of that first mission to Abydos... and when I met you in that briefing room so many years ago..." She blew out a breath, "That... mission... Grounder 1... that mission ultimately led to my involvement in the Stargate project... and then to SG-1 with you and Daniel and Teal'c," and she paused again. "I've always seen it as part of the symmetries and balances that life often seems to be made of."

"I still can't believe that I never connected you with Raptor 2," he stated with disbelief.

"Well, let's see... you had two bullets in you... you were feverish... and I was in a plane thousands of feet overhead... you never saw my face... just heard my voice over a radio... so... years later, no one would ever expect you to connect that pilot over that desert with a scientist demanding to be on your special off-world team...," and she gave him a rueful grin of empathy.

"No, I certainly did not think of Raptor 2 when you appeared in that briefing room in your dress blues," he admitted. She grinned and shrugged it off, but he continued, "It doesn't seem quite fair, actually."

"What?" she returned.

"You knew who I was, but I really didn't know who you were," he pointed out and she shrugged apologetically.

"At first, I really wanted to prove that I could be an asset to the team... and later... Raptor 2 just seemed pretty inconsequential compared to the SGC and our missions. Saving the World and All," and she gave him a small smile.

"You risking your life to save mine is never inconsequential to me," he pointed out clearly.

She rolled her eyes, "You know what I meant," she protested.

"Yeah, I did," he admitted and then paused for a moment before continuing, "And I don't think I ever said thanks."

She looked back up at him, "Yes you did. Weeks ago," she reminded him.

"Not for that, for dragging my soggy ass back to camp last week and then for healing me," he specified.

"Ah. Well, you're welcome, although I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done if it had been me who was injured," she returned dismissively.

"Yeah well, thanks just the same," he reiterated.

"You're welcome," she returned warmly.

A few more moments of silence and then, "Sam, if anything like that happens again-,"

And she cut him off, "Don't say it!"

"Sam-,"

"Don't say it!" she repeated angrily.

"Trading your life for mine – just isn't worth it," he tried.

"_I _decide what my life is worth trading for," she retorted.

"Sam look, you said you'd kick my ass if I left you here – well, it's the same for me. I would be devastated if you died saving my life and I was left here alone," he entreated.

She stared at him. "Jack, there was never any choice. You were seriously hurt. We don't have access to any medical facilities or doctors. I had the potential to help you... end of story."

He sighed, "I just wish there was a way to control it... so that you weren't so...," and he searched for words.

"Debilitated?" she offered.

"Almost dead," he returned baldly and she winced.

"Nice," she commented with heavy irony.

"Yeah well, next time you leave me to talk to myself while you spend several days as Sleeping Beauty, I get to name the planet," he proclaimed.

"Oh, I really don't think so," she returned with a threatening tone. "I'm not living on SpermWorld."

He raised his eyebrows challengingly, "A guy has to have something to amuse himself while you saw logs."

"What _did_ you do while I was asleep?" she asked curiously.

"This and that around camp. Played cards. Slept a lot. You made it look so inviting," and he gave her a quirky grin. "But mostly I watched you," he admitted and she looked uncomfortable.

It hadn't dawned on her that he'd had all that time to watch her while she was completely unawares. She'd figured that he spent most of the time working on this and that around camp. He was usually so restless.

She looked over at him and wondered just how much time he had spent watching her sleep. Mentally flipping things around, she admitted to herself that if _he'd_ been the one sleeping... she would have undoubtedly spent hours watching him.

'_But mostly I watched you,'_ his words echoed silently in her mind as she pondered the flickering flames of the campfire.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

Author's Notes: The lyrics quoted earlier are from the song 'Live Like You Were Dying', by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols. If you'd like to hear the song sung by Tim McGraw, go to www**_dot_**smashitsusa**_dot_**com/index.cfm?PageAudio&SubPagealbumdetails&AlbumID634 (and replace the **_dot_**s with periods)

The song actually refers specifically to a young 40-something who finds out that he has cancer, but the sentiment 'Live Like You Were Dying' applies to so many other possibilities... and the mention of fishin no longer seeming an imposition... it just seemed to fit for Sam and Jack here.

I've never included a song in a fanfic before and I hope this one works here. I also hope that if you haven't heard the song before, that you give it a listen... it's worth it.

- - -


	44. Interlude

- - -

**Ch 44: INTERLUDE**

- - -

Daniel parked in front of her silent, single-story house. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, a rumble in the distance reached his ears and then grew louder. Turning to look down the street, he saw a slim figure on a motorcycle moving towards him. The distinctively throaty rumble of the Indian grew louder and then the rider throttled back and slowed to pull into the driveway.

Silently he watched her trim, leather-clad figure as she stopped the motorcycle and then killed its engine while using her booted heel to flip the kickstand into position. Dismounting while leaning the cycle's weight against the kickstand, she turned to greet him as she pulled her helmet off.

"Daniel," and she met his eyes with both fear and hope.

He shook his head gently 'No', and she sighed and closed her eyes as her shoulders slumped. He stepped forward and pulled her into a strong hug. Holding her tightly as she fought back her tears.

After a few moments, she pulled back murmuring both 'Thanks' and 'sorry'.

"Don't apologize," he returned softly, "I needed a good hug myself," and he gave her a small smile and a tilt of the head.

She gave him a small, shy grin that pushed back some of the sorrow clouding her face.

Turning his gaze to the motorcycle, he decided to try a little aimless chatter, "Went for a ride?" he asked.

She nodded, "Just keeping it in good running condition. Giving the tires a spin, blowing out the carburetor...," and she looked at the ground and then back up at him.

He gave her a knowing smile, "Yeah, it needs to be taken for a little spin every now and then," he agreed.

"That's what I thought," she remarked with a waggle of her eyebrows and then added, "_You_ get to take the Volvo out for a drive."

He snorted, "No thanks, that thing hates me. I think Sam jury-rigged some alien artifacts instead of a transmission and clutch assembly. It's not a normal car," he complained.

"You just don't treat it with the respect that it demands," she returned archly.

"Well, I took care of moving Jack's truck around, so someone else gets the Volvo," he decreed.

"Teal'c!" they both exclaimed with twin grins.

Silence reclaimed the driveway and Cassandra Frasier looked over at him somberly, "Daniel, are they dead?"

"We don't know," and his heart cracked a little at having to tell her that yet again.

She nodded and looked into the distance. "It's been almost two months," and she let that hang in the air.

"Yes... but Jack was stranded once before for three months and we eventually got him back," he pointed out.

Silent seconds ticked by and then she asked, "But what do you think, Daniel? Do you think they are still alive?"

He put his hand on her shoulder and met her eyes, "Yes, I honestly do. I still think that they're alive. I don't know where they are... and I don't know why they haven't come home, but I think that they are still alive...," and he shrugged with a small smile, "I can't tell you why... but it's something that I can just... feel."

She studied his eyes intently and then nodded, "Good. Because I can't handle losing them right now. Not after Mom," and her voice broke and the tears fell of their own accord. 

He pulled her into his arms again and felt her wrap her arms around him as her tears fell freely. He let her tears cry themselves out and when he felt her quiet down, he spoke softly, "Cassie, we're still looking for them. We haven't given up, I promise."

- - - - - - -

Teal'c walked silently through O'Neill's house. Watering the few plants. Stacking and sorting the mail. Dutifully recording the few odd phone messages on a notepad.

DanielJackson was paying the monthly bills for both SamanthaCarter and JackO'Neill. Teal'c and young Cassandra Frasier took care of the necessary minimal housework and yardwork, with Teal'c attending to O'Neill's home and Cassandra attended to Samantha's.

The Jaffa eyed the time while assessing the disheveled state of the lawn. Nodding imperceptibly, he moved towards the garage to configure the mechanized grass-cutting machine for use. He should be able to finish the front yard before meeting DanielJackson and CassandraFrasier for dinner.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Daniel tried to focus on the list of planets that they would search next, but his attention kept wandering. Doubts and worries were now demanding his attention. How much longer would they be allowed to continue the search for Jack and Sam? When would General Hammond's temporary command of the SGC have to be handed over to a new CO for the base?

And, his words from last night kept echoing in his mind.

"_I don't know where they are... and I don't know why they haven't come home, but I think that they are still alive..., I can't tell you why... but it's something that I can just... feel."_

This morning, however, he found himself wondering at his own statements.

"Something is bothering you DanielJackson?" the Jaffa broke into Daniel's wandering thoughts.

The archeologist started to deny his friend's observation and then sighed, "We've searched dozens and dozens and dozens of planets, and we haven't found any signs of Jack or Sam. All of the information about the Vandi indicates that it should have worn off within a few hours... like it did for you and me. So, where are they? Why didn't they dial home? Something had to have happened to them," and he paused and gauged the Jaffa's impassive visage. "We haven't heard from them in almost two months. Do you think they are still alive?" he asked the same question that Cassie had asked him last night.

Teal'c tilted his head a little in acknowledgement of the points made, "I do believe that GeneralO'Neill and ColonelCarter are most likely still alive," he intoned somberly.

"What are you basing that on?" Daniel asked curiously and with guarded hope.

"Both GeneralO'Neill and ColonelCarter have survived extreme conditions numerous times over the past many years. I fully expect that when we find them, we will discover that these past months have presented many challenging obstacles. However, I am fully confident of their abilities to succeed where others would surrender."

"So... would it be correct to say... that you... just have this 'feeling' that they are ok?" he proposed tentatively.

The Jaffa stared at him for a moment and then nodded his head again, "It would," he answered with stark brevity.

"Ah," Daniel returned.

"Do you not have such feelings DanielJackson?" Teal'c inquired.

"Well actually, yes, I do... it's just... hard to define them... and hard to justify them with any facts or hard data," the archeologist returned.

"Feelings do not require facts," the Jaffa returned sagely.

Daniel looked quietly at his friend for a few moments and then asked, "How long do we search before we have to face the probability that we have lost them... that they aren't coming home?"

The Jaffa returned sagely, "We will know when the search is concluded. For now, we continue."

Daniel nodded silently.

They would continue searching.  
Because they both still felt the pull to that which was SG-1.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	45. OrangeWhite

- - -

Author's Note: I want to thank all of the readers who have sent such wonderful feedback. Sam and Jack's journey is far from over... the upcoming chapters have more new discoveries and developments that I've been working hard to get onto paper and into the computer. I hope you enjoy the saga... :)

- - -

* * *

- - -

"_What _did_ you do while I was asleep?" she asked curiously._

"_This and that around camp. Played cards. Slept a lot. You made it look so inviting," and he gave her a quirky grin. "But mostly I watched you," he admitted and she looked uncomfortable._

'But mostly I watched you_,' his words echoed silently in her mind as she pondered the flickering flames of the campfire._

- - -

**Ch 45: ORANGE WHITE**

- - -

As they slipped into their eighth week, Sam and Jack settled into life on P8X-539... they still couldn't agree on a name. Sam continued to regain her strength while Jack watched her every move. When she grew restless and started complaining about his oversight, he knew that she was just about back to normal.

Today, Jack was currently pottering around camp while Sam had taken the short walk to the 'Gate to check out their alarm system. Actually, he'd spent the past half-hour nervously watching the path from the 'Gate and checking his radio. This was the first time in over two weeks that she'd been out of his sight for any substantial length of time or purpose.

Mentally summing the numbers, he estimated a 10 minute walk to the 'Gate, a 15-minute look around and then a 10-minute walk back... total time – 35 minutes. So... give her an extra 15 minutes at the 'Gate clearing... and that brought the total to... 50 minutes...

"Jack?" came over his radio and he snatched it up.

"Sam?" he sent back quickly.

"Just checking in, how're you doing?" she replied.

"Fine, just fine," he returned. "When do you think you'll be heading back?" and he tried to keep his voice casual and nonchalant, but she wasn't fooled.

"Oh, another half-hour or so," she sent back.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked curiously.

"Just checking some stuff around the 'Gate," she sent back unhelpfully.

"Ah," he returned. "Need any help?"

"Not yet," she replied.

"All right, be careful," he couldn't help adding.

"Yes, Jack," she sent back and he could hear her 'eyes rolling' in her tone.

- - - - - -

Twenty minutes later and he decided to walk to the 'Gate and meet her. Either to drag her back for lunch, or to bug her until she decided to come back as the path of least resistance.

Five minutes down the path and he heard it.  
He heard the 'Gate power up.

He started running and then came to a screeching halt just before the clearing.  
Throwing himself onto the ground he peered out from the low bushes towards the 'Gate.

The 'Gate was lit up and the inner ring was moving sluggishly.  
Grinding.

And then an event horizon appeared with a short 'slwping' sound.  
Without the explosive kawoosh.  
No roiling tumbling ball sprang forth. 

A simple event horizon snapped into existence.  
Except it wasn't even that simple.  
Because it was a glowing white...with a slight pale orange tint.  
Definitely not the typical blue.

And then it snapped and disappeared.  
The 'Gate powered off.

The clearing was quiet.

His eyes scanned for evidence of Sam, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Figuring that she'd ducked into the brush around the clearing, he spoke softly into his radio, "Sam?"

No reply.  
The radio and the clearing were quiet.

He tried again, "Sam?"

"Jack?" came back clearly.

"Where are you?" he asked with his eyes scanning the clearing carefully.

"The other side of the 'Gate," she replied.

"Did anything come through the 'Gate?" he asked.

"No...," she replied, "It wasn't on long enough."

He watched the clearing for a moment as her words sunk in and then he slowly stood up, "You're OK?"

"Yes," she returned.

"Right - I'll be right there," he informed her as he stepped cautiously into the clearing, with his P90 ready... just in case.

- - - - -

He found her sitting on the ground beside the 'Gate. "Hey," he greeted her with a questioning look.

"Hi," and her guilty expression told him volumes.

"So... let me guess... you figured out a way to get the 'Gate working... and you decided to test it without telling me?" he asked knowingly and with a slight undercurrent of anger.

"Sort of," she admitted reluctantly.

"Sort of?" he asked incredulously, "I saw it power up, Sam!"

"I didn't think anything was going to happen," she sighed.

"Then why did you try it?" he asked bitingly, still angry that she could have been hurt when he was back at camp unawares.

She sighed again and looked at him for a moment and then, "Jack, we can't stay here," she replied.

"We aren't staying by choice," he pointed out and she nodded.

"Look, after your fever and then your spill in the river... I realized... we _can't _stay here... not just the two of us... all it will take will be one infection... one bad injury that we can't fix... we don't have the medical facilities that we need. If we stay here, one of us is going to end up here alone," and she closed her eyes at the images.

He looked back at her, remembering his thoughts after the injuries of his tumble down the river. She was right. Eventually, one of them was going to get too sick for the other to heal... with either their dwindling medical supplies... or that green-glowy thing. One of them would die... and the other would be left alone. "So you figured something out...?" and he gestured at the 'Gate.

"More like remembered something," she confessed and then at his confused look, she continued, "All of our talk... our sharing stories... remembering the start of the Stargate program... and then that weird green-glow...," and she looked at him uncertainly and he nodded that he was -sort of- following her thoughts, "and I remembered something from just before I was pulled off the Stargate project and sent to the Pentagon," and her voice was thoughtful and her eyes were slightly unfocussed as she concentrated on her memories.

"One morning, I was down at the base of the 'Gate... working on some of the power connections, when I was distracted by some of the markings and panels on the side of the 'Gate – they looked like those," and she gestured up at the base of the stone plinth behind them.

"I started running my hands over the markings, trying to figure out if they had a functional purpose or if they were simply etchings and inscriptions that told a story or some such," and here she stood up and walked over to point at the engravings. He pushed himself up and stood by her side, inspecting the inscriptions.

"These panels are just like the ones on the base of our 'Gate..." and she took a breath, "And when I ran my hand over a panel that looked just like this one-," and her hand hovered over an engraving that looked sort of like an hourglass.

His hand grabbed hers and pulled it back. She looked at him questioningly. "Demonstration later, explanation first," he instructed knowingly and she just nodded.

"When I touched that... panel... the Stargate suddenly powered up," she continued. "I pulled my hand off immediately and it went silent again. Everyone else tried their luck, but nothing would happen."

"Until you touched it again?" he guessed and she nodded reluctantly again.

"We didn't have any time to follow up on it after that. No time for anything scientific. The project was being shut down in a few weeks and we were scrambling to finish the tests we had originally slated for the next several months," she sighed. "And when the project started up again, we were off to battle with Ra... or some other Goa'uld or some such... and I never had a chance to follow up on...," and she gestured at that panel again.

"I think I'd pretty much forgotten about it... I'd figured it was a fluke anyway... must have been some crossed wires that day or something... either that or one of the techs was having a bit of fun with a prank or some such...," she looked over and met his eyes and then shrugged, "But the past couple of weeks... with our walks down memory lanes... and I've had plenty of time to think of ways to try and get the 'Gate working..., and then I noticed these panels in the stone today...," and she shrugged again.

"You should have told me what you were going to do," he admonished.

"You're right," she admitted, "I'm sorry. I honestly figured it was going to be nothing. These panels aren't even in the Stargate itself, they are in the stone plinth that the 'Gate is resting on."

"Didn't look like nothing to me," he returned with one eyebrow raised at her and she winced apologetically again.

"Sorry," she repeated.

"You won't do that again without telling me, right?" he spelled it out for clarity.

"I won't do that again without telling you," she agreed and her tone was similar to that which Cassie had used in her early teenage years.

"Good," he took what he could get and then asked, "Was it light orange when you did it all those years ago?"

"No, we didn't get an event horizon at all," and her gaze grew thoughtful.

"Well, this time the 'Gate lit up and the inner ring started turning, but it was sluggish and jerky, and then this weird orange-white event horizon snapped into place. No kawoosh," and he pantomimed the watery explosion with his hand.

She nodded, still thinking, "The event horizon was green when the Atlantis crew gated to the Pegasus galaxy... but I don't know what an orange-white color means."

"What exactly did it do when you touched it before you were sent to the Pentagon?" he asked for clarification.

She shrugged again, "It powered up... but there was no event horizon... and the inner ring didn't spin... nothing moved... it just lit up, like it was getting ready to do something."

"Mmmm... so what's different this time?" he asked as they both pondered the possibilities.

"Well, for one, these panels are in the stone base... the stone must be made of special minerals... maybe to produce some kind of amplifying effect... probably some naquadah...," and at that they looked at each other knowingly, "And then there is the naquadah in my blood," she finished.

"But how were you able to get anything to happen 10 years ago? You didn't have naquadah in your blood back then," he stated.

She shook her head because she didn't know the answers, "No, I didn't have any naquadah...," and she kept thinking outloud, "But many things from the Ancients are keyed to genetics... maybe I just have the right combination of DNA?" she postulated.

"Maybe that explains the green-glowy thing too?" he proposed.

"Maybe...," and her voice trailed off as her scientific mind crunched through the possibilities and then she shook her head, "But we just don't have enough data to answer these questions, yet."

"So how about we get some more data?" he suggested and then stepped forward and laid his hand on the panel. She jumped forward in alarm.

But nothing happened.  
The 'Gate stayed silent.

He pressed his hand flat against the stone etching and waited.  
Nothing.

He heard her release her breath and he turned to see that she now had her eyes closed in relief. But then they snapped open and he received a full-force glare. "What did you think you were doing?" she demanded angrily.

"Isn't the pot calling the kettle black?" he returned with raised eyebrows.

"So it's _not_ ok for me to do it, but it _is_ ok for you?" she asked, although the glare lessened in intensity.

"Still sensing the pot and kettle thing here," he avoided a direct answer.

"Rhrhrhrh," and there was that growl again. Coming from deep in her chest.

A look of both surprise and amusement spread over his face and did nothing to lighten her mood. "Well, nothing happened anyway," he pointed out. "Looks like its still just you that makes the 'Gate light up, Sam," and he gave her a suggestive grin and she rolled her eyes.

She sighed and looked away from him and back at the hourglass etching. He could see the wheels turning again.

"Sam, let's get some lunch and talk about what we should do next," he proposed and kept his voice casual.

She looked up at him and then back at the 'Gate before acquiescing, "Yeah, you're right," and she turned and kneeled down to reset the 'Gate alarm before they left.

- - -

At lunch, she argued that they needed to explore this new discovery. She argued that they needed to find a way to 'Gate home... and that this was the only current avenue with any potential.

He played devil's advocate, although he actually agreed with her - even if he didn't want to. He would have much preferred a scenario where he was the one who would be activating the 'Gate. He would have much preferred that he was the one in potential danger... and not her.

But he played devil's advocate so that they could run through everything that they knew. Think through all of the possible scenarios. Compare with all of their years of 'Gate travel experience.

She knew what he was doing. And she went along with it. They needed to run through it all. Make sure that they were as prepared as they could be. But she didn't tell him of one possibility that occurred to her. She didn't have any proof one way or the other of any similarities, but she knew that if she even broached the subject of the Latonans, then he wouldn't allow any further experimentation with the hourglass panel.

So they hashed through what they knew.  
And what they didn't – which was too much.

Jack finally agreed to further exploration, but he first demanded that she take another week off from anything physical. They both knew that she wasn't yet 100-percent recovered from the effects of healing his injuries.

She didn't argue. A week would give her time to think and plan.  
No scientist could argue with that.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_TBC_

- - -


	46. Experimentation

- - -

_Jack finally agreed to further exploration, but he first demanded that she take another week off from anything physical. They both knew that she wasn't yet 100-percent recovered from the effects of healing his injuries._

_She didn't argue. A week would give her time to think and plan.  
__No scientist could argue with that._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 46: EXPERIMENTATION**

- - -

Sam spent the week working on her laptop. Postulating ideas and scenarios. Jack watched with bemusement as she dove into the new project.

Jack also spent the week preparing. He rigged up a harness system so that he could yank her away from the 'Gate in a nanosecond. She hadn't seen it yet, but he was pretty sure what her reaction would be, so he decided to wait show it to her.

Sam was also very careful to ensure that she got plenty of sleep, ate plenty of food and got some exercise. She didn't want him to have any excuses to prevent them from moving forward with the experimentation. He watched her knowingly, but couldn't complain... she was taking better care of herself than normal – how could he complain about that?

- - -

They also spent time planning a sturdier shelter... something that would last longer than their present shelter. Something more... permanent. A small one-room structure. They had two small hatchets, one small handsaw and a hammer... although they only had a handful of loose nails in one of the small toolkits. They both planned and sketched, modifying and enhancing each other's ideas.

- - -

At the end of the week, she finally broached the idea of trying the 'Gate and he put her off for three more days... citing reasons from good fishing weather to a need to forage for vegetables. After the three days were up, however, he could stall no longer and he had to reluctantly agree that they would try again tomorrow.

She knew that he didn't want to do it. She knew he was worried that something was going to happen to her. Which it might, she admitted. But she couldn't help the excited thrill of anticipation that night as she looked forward to the discoveries they might make tomorrow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The day dawned bright, clear and cloud free. No wind or rain in sight. No way for Jack to use the weather as an excuse to postpone the day's planned activities.

He lay quietly under the covers with her back spooned up against his chest. He still held her close at night while they slept and they both knew that it wasn't just for warmth. They both wanted the closeness and comfort. He tightened his hold on her slightly and sighed.

"Jack, most likely nothing is going to happen," she spoke softly and surprised him. He hadn't realized that she'd woken up... he'd been too preoccupied with his thoughts.

"But something might," he objected.

"Yes, something might. We might figure out a way to get home," she reminded him - and he couldn't help it, her enthusiasm was contagious.

"Maybe we will," he agreed and dropped a light kiss on her temple and then quickly slipped out of from under the covers and started pulling on some extra clothes for the outside. "I'll get the fire and breakfast going," he stated as he finished lacing up his boots and then exited the tent.

She lay there under the warmth of the covers. Her mind no longer on the upcoming experiments, but on that soft kiss he'd brushed on her temple.

She'd noticed a change in him since the accident.  
He'd been... happier... was the best word she could come up with.  
He'd had an extra bounce in his step...  
He smiled more easily and more often...  
She'd even heard him humming to himself...  
And he'd just smile at her when he realized that she had been listening...

Her mind skipped over the evolution of their relationship over the past ten weeks. First they'd been colleagues... and comrades... Then they'd worked on – and achieved – a friendship... And now... where were they?

She knew that she loved him. In so many ways.  
The past couple of months had taught her that she could love him... romantically.

But what did he want?  
What would he want?  
What would he want if they did return to Earth?

What did she want?  
What did she want if they returned to Earth?

She tried to imagine herself with someone else.  
Married and with children... with someone else.  
And she couldn't.  
Not now.  
Not here.

Maybe things would change when they got back to Earth?  
But she didn't think her feelings would.

Of course, if he didn't want to pursue... that kind of relationship for the two of them... then, she'd have to look for someone else... because she didn't want to just hole up in her lab for the rest of her life. Her lab work _was_ fun... but it wasn't enough.

She wondered what he wanted.  
How he felt?

He was still Jack O'Neill, superhero.  
Would he want to settle down and have kids?  
He'd already done the family thing... would he want another?  
Would the world ever let a superhero have that life of peace?

She ran her fingertips over forehead... lingering where he'd dropped that simple kiss.

First things first.  
Work on the 'Gate.  
Figure out a way to get home.  
Sighing, she reluctantly crawled out from under the warm covers.

First things first.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She looked at him with bemusement when she saw his elaborate harness system. "And this is for...?" she asked, although she knew the answer.

"You," he answered firmly and began strapping the harness around her torso.

"It's not perhaps... just a bit much?" and she couldn't keep the amusement out of her tone.

"With all of the things that we've seen over the years?" he dared her to disagree.

Which of course, she couldn't... which was why she was grudgingly allowing him to truss her up.

"I can pull you off of there in a split second if I need to," he stated after he was finished checking everything twice.

"I can hardly breathe," she complained lightly.

"You're talking, so you're breathing just fine," he countered.

"If you yank on this thing, you'll pull me back flat on my ass," she assessed critically.

"I'll take a few bruises any day to a fried Sam," he sent back.

"You won't be the one with the bruises," she pointed out.

"I'll try and cushion your fall," he offered and tried to mug up some gallantry.

"Great, so we'll both have bruises," she returned.

"Best I can do," he shrugged and gave her a slightly apologetic smile.

She shook her head and turned back to the 'Gate, "Allright, you ready?" she asked.

"Not really," he returned. She looked back at him questioningly, so he capitulated, "But let's go ahead and give it a try," and he gestured at the stone panel.

She gave him one last look and then turned her attention back to the 'Gate. Jack readied the digital camera which was set so that the hourglass panel, Sam and as much of the 'Gate as possible were in the frame. The camera was also set on a self-timer that would automatically snap a picture every half-second.

"Here goes," she said and then reached for the panel. Jack hit the start button on the camera and then gripped the rope with both hands, ready to pull her off of the 'Gate at the first sign of trouble.

- - -

The camera began quietly snicking pictures as she pressed her hand against etching.

Sam felt the cool smooth stone against her palm.  
The 'Gate lit up.  
The inner ring start to move.  
A little sluggishly, but it was moving.

And then she saw the event horizon appear.  
A bright white-orange, just as ten days earlier.

She could feel the stone warm against her palm, and she started to speak to Jack, but her thoughts were interrupted by a blurry, dizzy image in her mind. She grimaced and squinted, trying to focus and get some clarity.

And then it was gone.  
Pain slammed into her...  
And her breath was knocked forcefully from her lungs.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_Author's note: I referenced the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website; in particular, for information on Episode 602, Redemption, part 2 (where they kick the SGC's Stargate off into hyperspace)_

- - -


	47. Fluidity

- - -

_She could feel the stone warm against her palm, and she started to speak to Jack, but her thoughts were interrupted by a blurry, dizzy image in her mind. She grimaced and squinted, trying to focus and get some clarity._

_And then it was gone.   
__Pain slammed into her...   
__And her breath was knocked forcefully from her lungs._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 47: FLUIDITY**

- - -

"Sam!"

"Sam!"

He was shaking her, trying to get some response from her.

She seemed to be conscious, just not responding to him.

She was sprawled on her back, where his forceful yank had thumped her down.

She groaned, "I thought you said you'd break my fall?" she asked querulously, while squinting up at him.

He grinned- she was allright. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't fast enough," but he didn't sound apologetic to her.

"Ugh! Why did you yank me off?" she asked while pushing herself to a sitting position.

"You weren't answering me. I called out to you several times, but it was like you were in some kind of trance," he explained and then waited for her to tell him what she'd experienced.

"I didn't hear you," she admitted.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She did have some bruises. Both on her backside and on her chest and midsection where the harness had dug in forcefully. But she wasn't about to complain and give him a chance to stall their next attempt.

He watched her knowingly and reached over and loosened the harness, but didn't take it off. She took that as a sign that he was still willing to discuss another try.

"So what happened?" he asked.

She took a breath and marshaled her thoughts, "I saw the 'Gate power up... and the inner ring started to move," and he nodded, "and then I saw the white-orange event horizon... just sort of appear... no kawoosh," she matched his description from ten days earlier. "The stone started to warm beneath my hand... and I saw this... fuzzy image... I couldn't make out what it was... I was trying to focus on it when...," and she gestured at the ground next to her to indicate what had happened next.

He nodded again, "Yeah, that pretty much jives with what I saw... all except the warming thing and that fuzzy image – I could just see the event horizon, the gate slowly spinning – and you standing there completely deaf," he ended accusingly.

"Sorry," she apologized.

A few moments of silence passed as they each processed what had happened. What they knew and still didn't know.

"We have to try again," she finally ventured.

He studied her and then reluctantly nodded.

"You're going to have to give me some time to figure out what's going on," she warned.

"How much time?" he asked warily.

"How long did the whole thing take last time?" she asked for data. "From the time I touched the stone to the time you pulled me off?"

"Thirty seconds or so," he estimated.

She was surprised. It hadn't felt that long.

"Allright, you time the next one... and we'll set a time of two minutes. Then you pull me off?" she proposed.

He was quiet. She was the scientist. He didn't have any good rational for countermanding her recommendation. And two minutes _did_ sound reasonable.

He nodded. "Two minutes," he sighed, and he knew it would be two of the longest minutes of his life. "Unless something changes and looks dangerous," he appended.

She couldn't disagree with that, so she nodded her agreement, but then requested, "Can you try to pull me away a little less... forcefully?"

He stared at her for a moment and then silently nodded with a rueful grin.

They reset the camera.   
He set his watch.   
She dusted herself off and allowed him to retighten the harness.

Stepping back to the side of the 'Gate, she waited for him to get set. He started the camera and then counted off, "Three, two, one, mark," and he set his watch timer and then grabbed the rope as she placed her hand back on the etched panel.

- - - - -

The 'Gate lit up almost immediately, the inner ring started moving, and the orange-white event horizon snapped into existence.

She felt the stone warming quickly under her palm and then the image returned.

She lost track of her physical surroundings as she focused on the image in her mind.

Blurry... indistinct.... moving... shifting.

She tried to focus, but it was difficult... the scene was upsetting her equilibrium... making her stomach churn a bit as the fuzzy images morphed and swirled.

She tried harder. Trying to focus. Trying to understand.

And then it started to clear a bit. Just a bit.

The images kept swimming around, and she couldn't determine up from down... but then some of the forms started to sharpen... one was a long, cylindrical shape.... stretching and shrinking... another... was a curved plane...?

And then pain slammed into her.   
The images were yanked away.   
She clenched her eyes shut against the vertigo and intense nausea.

Darkness with afterimages filled her vision.

- - - - - -

"Sam?" he was shaking her gently.

She groaned.

"Sam?" he tried again and received a moan and then she opened her eyes to look at him through slitted eyelids.

"What happened?" she asked in a tired voice.

"I think I'm supposed to ask you that," he returned with a small smile. "But since you asked, your two minutes were up and you were ignoring me again... so...," and he waved his hand at the ground where she lay.

She groaned again and then relaxed back on the ground.

"Are you ok?" he asked with concern in his tone.

"I think so," she replied with her eyes still closed. Trying to ignore the pain from the bruises of landing hard on the ground – again. "Next time we do this, we are definitely figuring out a way to cushion this landing," she declared and knew without looking that he was grinning at her complaints.

"Sorry about that," he replied... although his tone was anything but apologetic, "But gentle tugs got no result. You stood there like a statue... so I..."

"Yanked," she supplied with a quirked eyebrow.

He nodded ruefully and then asked, "So, what happened? Anything new?"

"It started the same... the 'Gate powered up, the inner ring started moving, the white-orange event horizon... with no flushing outwards first...," she started and he nodded his agreement. He'd seen all of that. "The stone warmed up faster this time... and then I saw some blurry images... swirling and changing shape and size... gave me a little vertigo," she admitted and then continued, "Finally things started to sharpen a little, but everything was still moving... still fluid... there was this one... cylindrical shape that got longer and shorter... and something that looked like.. a curved plane... and it was undulating and twisting... and then that was it... next thing I know I was flat on my back again and looking up at your handsome face," she concluded.

"Ahhh, well at least I know that your vision isn't impaired," he returned quickly and with a sly grin.

She just gave him a low groan for a response.

"Well so far, I don't see how we can use this to 'Gate offworld," he gave a preliminary assessment.

"Not yet, but we need to try again. And for a little longer," she pointed out.

He stared at her, "I'm really not liking this whole deaf-trance-thing you've got going on with the 'Gate here," he stated.

She grimaced but forged ahead, "We'll just increase the sessions incrementally. We'll try 3 or 4 minutes next time and see if we get any improvements."

He stared at her and then shifted his gaze off into the distance for a few moments. Finally bringing his eyes back to her, he nodded reluctantly, "I don't like it, but we'll give it another go."

"Right," she replied as she started to push herself up.

"After lunch," he declared.

"It's only 1000," she protested.

"That's right," he agreed as he stepped forward to undo the harness, "We're going to take a few hours off. Maybe fish a little, or take a walk... or whatever. And we can think about... this... and what to expect next time," he explained. "Then a little lunch... and we can come back around 1400."

"1400?!" she returned with surprise and consternation. A four-hour break???

"1400," he returned firmly. "Look, this research stuff is your bailiwick, but making sure that you sleep, eat right, exercise – and relax – that's my arena," he explained to her bemusement. "Now, I've been good about agreeing to the experiments – much better than I want to be, believe me – but now, we do the next four hours my way. At 1400, we go back to science and you're in charge again," and he waited for her response.

To his surprise, she gave him a simple, "Yes sir," accompanied by a slight look of amusement. Well, he didn't care if she found his demands amusing – as long as she went along with them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ultimately, an early lunch was followed by a few hours fishing. Their new fishing spot was a little ways upstream from where the landslide had occurred. Although Sam didn't fish, she didn't fall asleep either. She was replaying the images of what she'd seen while touching the 'Gate. Trying to figure them out.

Jack watched her out of his peripheral vision and wished he could order her to take stop thinking for awhile... to take a real break... but he also realized that here he'd accomplished more than they'd ever been accomplish back at the SGC! Sam Carter had left her experiments for a four hour break – complete with sitting by a stream... fishing... or rather watching him fish... Ok, he admitted she wasn't watching him fish, but at least she was in the vicinity of fishing. Maybe some of the Zen would rub off, he thought with amusement.

- - -

At 1400, they were back at the 'Gate. To soften her 'landings', they had piled up jackets, empty duffel bags and any other loose piece of soft material that they could find.

Jack strapped her into the harness.

The camera was ready.

"We did two minutes last time and I think the images were just starting to clear up a bit – so how about four minutes this time?" she proposed.

"Three," he sent back quickly. He too had had several hours to think about what was next.

She considered negotiating for something in between three and four, but then simply decided to acquiesce - this time. She nodded, "Allright, three," she agreed.

He gave her a small, grateful smile and set himself over the camera.

"You're going to try a softer pull again this time?" she asked hopefully.

His grin grew a little and then he nodded, "I'll try a softer tug, but if you don't budge, I'm hauling your ass out of there," he declared.

She nodded again and then turned back to the etched hourglass.

"On my mark," he intoned as he started the camera and then let his hand hover over his watch timer, "On three, two, one, mark!" and he started the timer and grabbed the rope with both hands.

- - -

She pressed her hand on the cool stone and closed her eyes.   
She could hear the 'Gate spinning.   
She could feel the stone warming under her palm.

And then the images swam in front of her eyes.

Drifting, bobbing, morphing.   
Liquid, not solid.

Mostly whites on dark blues, with streaks and shimmers of colors.

The cylinder appeared again.   
Stretching and shrinking.   
And then the curved plane resolved itself.   
And then another plane.   
The two surfaces never touched.   
Both in constant motion... rippling and twisting.

Vertigo turned her stomach.

The area between the two rippling planes dropped off into infinity.   
The cylindrical shape stretched and stretched, becoming thinner and thinner.   
Turning into a thread that rippled and twisted between the two planes.

She watched the moving serpentine thread for awhile and then focused on one of the rippling surfaces. There was texture to the flexible planes... they appeared to be streaked with fibers... fibers of light... fibers that caused an iridescence and streaky rainbow effect.

It was beautiful at the same time that it was disconcerting.   
No up or down.   
The only objects that she could see were in constant motion.

Watching the colorful fibers, the surface appeared to be sliding out from under her at a very high speed. Creating the illusion that she was sliding uncontrollably into the infinite depths between the two moving surfaces.

She moved her focus back to the thin thread stretching between the streaming planes.

The thread wandered aimlessly and loosely between the two planes.   
Meandering back on itself in loose loops.

_Pain_ slammed through her and the images vanished.

- - - - -

She clenched her eyes shut and then tried to relax.   
She knew where she was.

"Sam!" he was calling her.

"Yeah," she sent back without opening her eyes.

"Tell me you're allright," he demanded.

"I'm allright," she replied obediently.

"Thanks. Now are you ok?" he asked with true concern.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," and she forced herself to relax a little more.

"Sam?" his hand was on her shoulder and his tone was tinged with worry.

She carefully opened her eyes and squinted up at him, reassuringly, "It just takes a minute to get reoriented," she explained and he nodded uncertainly.

"So, the soft pull didn't work?" she asked.

"Not even close," he sent back definitively.

"Ah," she returned with a rueful smile. "So that was three minutes?"

"A very long three minutes," he confirmed.

"I... completely lost track of time," she confessed.

"Well, it was three minutes, trust me," he returned. "Three lo-o-ong minutes of watching you stand there like a statue while the gate spun around and that weird white-orange event horizon glowed creepily."

She stared at him with an unfocussed look, her mind assimilating his observations with what they'd already seen. When she didn't speak after a few moments he prompted, "What did you see?"

She looked back at him, startled out of her reverie, "Oh, sorry... I was just thinking," and then before he could make a comment, she continued, "I saw these two... curving rippling surfaces... they never touched, but they moved fluidly... and they seemed to be sliding by at high speed. The cylindrical object from before got thinner and thinner until it was barely a thread. The... thread... moved and twisted and curled and looped around," and she paused.

"Nothing that looked like a stone doughnut with weird symbols?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No, I didn't see anything ringlike... and I didn't see any characters or numbers... nothing like gate addresses," she admitted.

"So, what is it?" he questioned.

She shook her head, "I don't know yet."

He nodded and ran his eyes over her. She'd pushed herself up onto her elbows, but hadn't attempted to get up yet. "Are you ok?" he repeated his earlier question.

Surprised, she met his eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine," and she realized that he was questioning her lack of movement, she added, "Just preoccupied," and she gave him a small grin of embarrassment.

"I suppose you want to try this again?" he asked with a knowing and reluctant tone.

She smiled, shrugged and looked down and then back up at him, "We still haven't figured out what this does or what it's for... If we can use it to connect with Earth's 'Gate, we have to keep trying," she restated what they both knew.

Sighing with resignation, he held his hand out to help her up.

- - - - - -

Four minutes this time.

The stone seemed to warm more quickly under her hand each time.

The moments of blurry fuzziness quickly passed and the familiar shapes resolved themselves rapidly.

Two twisting, rippling planes of fibrous light rainbows, with an elongating and glowing thread stretching and extending in the space between.

She searched for anything resembling a Stargate.   
Anything resembling hieroglyphics, characters or numbers.   
Anything that could show them how to control the 'Gate.   
But she could see nothing like a 'Gate or its controls.

She concentrated on the twisting, stretching fiber.

Watching its movements.   
Trying to discern any patterns or objectives.

Trying to decipher a motivation to its movements.

The fiber grew and stretched and then relaxed and thickened.   
It twisted first one way and then another.

Never actually touching back on itself.   
Never touching the two twisting planes.

It was as if they were magnetically repelling each other.

Her eyes scanned the space between the planes, the space towards which the fiber was extending and reaching. Her eyes scanned the darkness and slowly she could begin to make out small pinpricks of light. They looked like stars in the night sky.

The epiphany struck her solidly.

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

Author's Note: Thanks to smpayne for the info re the Stargate's history - I corrected my previous reference.

- - -


	48. Kel Nor Reem

- - -

**Ch 48: KEL-NOR-REEM**

- - -

Teal'c concentrated on his breathing.

- - -

Slowly and deeply in...

- - -

Then slowly out.

- - -

Controlled and yet relaxed.

- - -

The tensions melted from his muscles.

- - -

Simply being.

- - -

He felt his heart beating in his chest.

- - -

He relaxed his mind and let it drift.   
Allowing thoughts and fragments to float in and out...   
...without question, without judgement.

Fragments of the conversations at lunch between Daniel and Dr. Rider.   
Images of O'Neill's freshly mowed lawn.   
His son Ry'ac taking his vows with his wife.   
Bra'tac challenging Teal'c's younger self to think beyond the typical Jaffa mind-set.   
Apophis...   
DanielJackson pouring over some archeological ruins.   
SamanthaCarter with a light in her eyes as she figured out something new.   
JackO'Neill sitting on a dock fishing.   
Ishta...

The images and sounds of his life slid in and out of his subconscious.   
Fragments... pieces...   
Sound bites... clips...   
In a gentle, shifting parade, the images and sounds brightened and then faded.   
Coming from each other and then melting into the background.

He let the moments of his life wash over him.

Holding patiently to his inner stability.   
Allowing his subconscious to make connections between his experiences.   
Allowing his soul to grow and develop.   
To learn and take meaning from that which was the life saga of this Jaffa.

Daniel Jackson's words replayed themselves clearly: _"So... would it be correct to say... that you... just have this 'feeling' that they are ok?" _

"_It would," he heard himself answer._

"_Ah," Daniel returned._

"_Do you not have such feelings DanielJackson?" Teal'c heard his own voice again._

"_Well actually, yes, I do... it's just... hard to define them... and hard to justify them with any facts or hard data," the archeologist returned._

"_Feelings do not require facts," the Jaffa returned sagely._

Feelings do not require facts.   
And he let that wash through him... to connect with other facets of his life experiences.

Feelings do not require facts.

Trekking through a forest as SG-1 explored a new planet.   
SG-1 fighting side-by-side against the Goa'uld and other hostile aliens.   
Living and working in the SGC. Eating breakfast in the commissary.   
A myriad of alien planets and unusual encounters.   
Fighting, talking, camping.

An image of the night sky with its thousands of glittering stars.   
Alien stars.

So many planets explored.   
So many different night skies.

He no longer questioned the unfamiliar configurations. In his travels through the Stargate, the Jaffa had trod on so many different planets that he saw a strangely reassuring familiarity in the _un_familiarity of the configuration of stars as seen from each new alien world.

The image of sparkling stars in the black night sky persisted.   
He did not resist.   
He did not question.   
He did not focus on the star patterns.   
He simply absorbed the experience.

A question floated across his subconscious.   
Wondering where his comrades were in that vast vista.   
But now, and in this place, he did not insist on answers.

Glittering sparks of light against a deep black.   
He allowed the peace of the image to embrace his soul.

He could feel their presences.   
That of JackONeill and SamanthaCarter.   
He was confident that they were still alive.

Glittering sparks of light against a deep black.

Breathing slowly and deeply, his mind and soul drifted, healed and developed.

_- - - -_

"Teal'c!?" DanielJackson was knocking on the door to the Jaffa's quarters.

Seemlessly pulling himself from his Kel-nor-reem, he stood up fluidly and moved to open the door. "DanielJackson?" he inquired politely.

"The briefing for P3X-441 has been moved up to 1230 because Hammond just had a video-conference scheduled for 1430," the archeologist spoke quickly.

Without looking at a timepiece, the Jaffa quickly noted that there were only 10 minutes left before the rescheduled briefing time. He tilted his head slightly and then nodded, "Understood."

DanielJackson nodded distractedly as his mind checked off what he needed for the pre-mission briefing, "I have to pick up a few things from my office, so I'll meet you in the briefing room," as he was already turning and walking down the corridor.

Realizing there was little need to answer, the Jaffa began efficiently snuffing out the candles while musing over his latest kel-nor-reem session.

Two items, in particular, stood out.

The image of the alien night sky of glittering sparks of light against a deep black.

And in the background were the words   
"_So... would it be correct to say... that you... just have this 'feeling' that they are ok?"   
_"_It would." _

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	49. Reciprocation

- - -

_Her eyes scanned the space between the planes, the space towards which the fiber was extending and reaching. Her eyes scanned the darkness and slowly she could begin to make out small pinpricks of light. They looked like stars in the night sky._

_The epiphany struck her solidly._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 49: RECIPROCATION**

- - -

"Sam?"

"Mmwugh," he got a groan for a reply.

"How do you feel?" he asked with concern.

"Like I got hit by a truck," she answered honestly and then her eyes snapped open to meet his. Resigned she relaxed back into the piles of soft materials that they'd stacked up. He'd never let her try again today after she'd admitted that!

He didn't say a word, but simply reached down and began unsnapping the harness. She didn't argue, she just assisted where she could. Once free of it, she lay back again and looked up at the giant stone ring.

"Anything different?" he asked as he sat down beside her.

She nodded, "I think I know what I'm seeing," she stated and his eyebrows raised, inviting her explanation. "The long thin cylinder is the wormhole," and she gestured at the 'Gate, "and it's not connected to anything... it's stretching and searching for the connection on the other end."

"So... we need to figure out how to make it connect... to Earth?" he concluded and she nodded. "You didn't see anything that looked like a DHD in there?" and he tapped the side of her head with a small grin, "Did you?"

To his surprise she didn't scowl at him, but instead answered with, "No, I didn't see anything like that... but I think I _am_ supposed to control it. I just didn't have time to figure out how," and she looked back at him pointedly.

"Hey, the four minutes were up," and he held up his watch as evidence. She looked back at the 'Gate and he could see those internal wheels spinning again. Deciding that she could think just as easily back at camp, he interrupted, "C'mon, let's get this stuff packed up and you can spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about it in that overactive brain of yours," and he pushed himself up and offered her a hand.

"Well, when you put it _that_ way...," and she rolled her eyes as she let him help her up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Jack woke before Sam and slipped out of the tent to rekindle the fire and get some hot drinks made. He knew that she was sore and tired from the events yesterday and he moved quietly around camp so that she could sleep as long as possible.

Finally hearing rustling in the tent around 0815, he quickly prepared a cup of tea and went to the tent door.

"Hot tea," he sang out as he entered and then quickly averted his eyes as she finished pulling her shirt down. Embarrassment, however, was quickly offset by the reality of what he'd seen. "Sam!" he accused as he turned his eyes back on her.

"Jack, it's just a few bruises," she downplayed as she tugged her T-shirt into place.

He narrowed his eyes and set the tea down carefully out of the way and then moved over next to her. "Lay down," he instructed.

"Jack-," she started to object, but he spoke over her.

"Sam, there won't be any experiments today or any other day if you don't let me take a look at this," he threatened.

She sighed and muttered, "Yes Ja-ack," much as she had to her father on the Goa'uld ship with Thor's mind in its computer.

"I heard that," he sent back archly and she pointedly fixed her eyes on the top of the tent.

Carefully sliding her shirt up so that he could see her lower abdomen, he let out a small airy whistle at the mottled green and blue bruises that clearly extended to her upper chest. Not breaching her modesty, he pulled her shirt down and then wagged his finger in a vertical circle, "Now, turn over."

She sighed, but didn't argue as she turned over. Carefully, he repeated his earlier actions and slid her shirt up to reveal a complementary set of green and purple mottled bruises criss-crossing her back. Neatly following the lines of the harness, he noted.

Careful not to touch her obviously sore back, he slid her shirt back down and sat back on his heels. Looking down at her he saw that she'd closed her eyes and placed her head on her crossed arms. Resigned to what he was going to say next. He couldn't prevent a small smile and an arched eyebrow. If he hadn't seen the bruises, she'd have pretended that there was nothing wrong, and they'd have gone ahead with more tests today.

But now, they were going to take a few days off. And she knew it.

He let the silence stretch out and finally she opened an eye to see what he was doing. He simply looked back at her, knowingly. "Janet would have boxed your ears for trying to go back out into the field with bruises like that," he stated challengingly.

"Janet...," she started to object, but then she relented and her face softened, "Yeah, you're right, she would have read me the riot act," she admitted.

"Do I need to?" he asked and played up a hopeful tone.

She gave him a rueful smile, "No."

"Good," he returned. "So, what say, we take the next three days off, and then we'll reassess how you are healing?"

She considered his words and realized that they were more than reasonable... her bruises would not heal in less than three days... and, in truth, it would probably take longer. She nodded, "And in the meantime, let's see if we can devise something that will spread the pressure out when you pull me away from the 'Gate."

As she rolled onto her side he narrowed his eyes and stared at her, lost in thought. "Sam... I want to try something..."

"What?" she returned curiously.

"Lie back down," he instructed and she looked at him questioningly so he pushed her gently back down onto her back. She looked up at him with raised eyebrows. He pulled his lower lip in while thinking and then explained, "I want to see if I can heal you the way that you healed me."

He waited while she thought it through. Her bruises weren't life-threatening, and shouldn't cause too much of strain on his system. She really didn't want him to have to deal with her pain... but they _would_ find out if it worked both ways. Not seeing a way that she could legitimately say no, she silently nodded.

He gave her a small reassuring grin and then reached forward and placed his palm over her heart.

She watched him silently and tried to relax.

He felt for the soft thump, thump, thump of her heartbeat.   
When he could feel it, he closed his eyes and focused on it.

Nothing else happened.

He opened his eyes, and looked down. No glow.   
She gave him a small encouraging smile, but stayed silent.

He closed his eyes again and refocused on her heartbeat.   
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.   
He let his mind wander over the images of her bruises.   
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.

And then he felt his palm itching. Or tingling. Or prickling.   
He wasn't sure which.   
He opened his eyes.   
And it stopped.

The edges of a smile quirked her lips as she looked up at him. "Did you feel that?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," she returned softly.

Nodding, he took a slow breath and closed his eyes again.   
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.   
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.

And then the tingling and prickling started again.   
His hand felt warm.   
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.   
He slowly opened his eyes to see a soft green glow leaking out from between his hand and her chest.

He looked to her face to see that her eyes were unfocussed and glazed over.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.   
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.

He focused on her heartbeat.   
He focused on her.

Time lost meaning.

And then it was over.   
It just stopped.   
The extra warmth in his hand faded along with the prickling and itching.

He looked back at her face and she looked peacefully asleep.

He sat back on his heels, assessing.   
Checked his watch.   
Approximately 15 minutes had passed.

He was a bit tired.   
Like he'd just walked several miles up a hill.   
Nothing that he couldn't handle, but he was ready for a rest – and he knew he'd sleep good tonight.

Looking back at Sam, he gently ran a hand over her forehead, brushing the hair out of her eyes. She didn't stir. Carefully and gently, he pushed the bottom of her T-shirt up to examine the lower portion of her abdomen. The bruises were gone. After she awoke, he could examine her back, but he was fairly confident that she was healed.

He'd done it!   
Or they'd done it.   
It didn't really matter.

He couldn't put words to his current feelings.

Checking his watch again, it was just past 0900. He thought about what he could do with the morning as he watched her sleep. Finally, he decided that she had the right idea and he lay down beside her and pulled one of the loose sleeping bags over the two of them. Laying an arm over her waist, he closed his eyes and swiftly dropped off to sleep.

- - - - -

She awoke a little over two hours later to the bright light of late morning. Blinking, she checked her watch. A little after 1100. Memories and images of his attempts to heal her came back. She ran a hand over her abdomen and felt no soreness.

Carefully shifting away from him, she hiked her shirt up and looked at the exposed skin. No bruising or mottling at all. "I think it worked," his deep tones came from over her shoulder. Looking back at him, she saw him grinning up at her and she smiled back.

"I think you're right," she agreed.

"Now that you're awake, if you lie down on your stomach, I'll check your back," he instructed.

Doing as she was told, she lay down and he pushed her shirt up. "No bruises visible," he reported and then again ran his hand lightly over her back. "How does that feel?"

A few beats of silence and then, "Not sore," she said quietly and then added, "If that's what you're asking."

Surprised, he stopped his examination for a moment and then a slow grin appeared on his face before he refocused on his immediate task. "OK, I'm going to press a little harder. Let me know if anything hurts," he directed. She just nodded silently as he began gently pressing and exploring the muscles in her back.

After a few minutes he stopped and asked, "Anything?"

"Mmmm?" she returned and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"That wasn't supposed to be a massage," he pointed out.

"True, but it was a great start," and she giggled softly.

He raised his eyebrows and thought that one over. Why not? But then before he could act on that, she was pushing herself up while pulling her shirt down.

"Of course, I should be the one giving you the massage," she smiled gratefully at him. "You're the one who healed me – and you're the one who's probably tired and exhausted."

"Was a little tired," he admitted, "But you looked so comfortable, that I couldn't help but join you for a nap. I feel pretty much OK, now," he reported honestly.

She looked his face over critically, remembering how she'd felt after healing him. "My injuries were much worse when you healed me, Sam," he pointed out and she nodded slowly.

"Well, I suggest a couple of days light duty anyway," she recommended.

"You'll get no argument from me!" and he waggled his eyebrows playfully.

* * *

For their first day of 'light duty', they worked on their campsite, reinforced the shelter (an on-going maintenance), washed some laundry, hunted for meat and foraged for fruits and vegetables, etc.

On the second day, Sam suggested a leisurely overnight trip to Jack's Lake for a little R&R. Jack was more than willing. They were both feeling pretty good and needed the exercise.

The storm waters had receded and when they arrived, they found the size of the lake much as it had been on their previous visit. The only major difference was the large amount of debris resting on the narrow shorelines. Shredded and torn tree trunks and other forest wreckage lay in mute testament to the force of the storm waters just a few weeks ago.

They walked around to their small sandy beach and cleared a space for their overnight campsite.

Jack fished, but the fish in the lake were apparently different than the fish just upriver and nothing was attracted to his bait. Which suited him just fine, as he lounged back on the sand and let his eyes wander over the vista of lake, trees and sky.

Sam worked on her laptop, perused their map and let her thoughts sift through the images and impressions of her sessions with the 'Gate. Oh... and she took a few naps. Not that Jack said anything – he had taken his own naps.

* * *

Four days passed before they returned to their experiments with the 'Gate.

By 0930, they were set up at the 'Gate. The camera was set and ready. They had reassembled the pile of clothes and asundry items that would serve as a cushion.

The new harness was actually just the old harness, but they'd taken a heavy-canvas duffle bag, doubled it over and then wrapped it around her torso before securing the rope harness over it. The heavy canvas should allow the pressure from the ropes to be spread over a larger area, instead of just digging in where the ropes were.

- - - - -

"Five minutes," he agreed grudgingly. "On my mark," and started the camera and counted it down, "On three, two, one, mark," and he started his watch timer and gripped the rope.

She nodded and placed her palm on the now-familiar etching.   
The stone warmed quickly. Apparently the days off were not an issue.   
Perhaps, she mused, it was her growing familiarity with the sensations?   
And then she was focusing on the twisting, rippling planes of fibrous light.

She zeroed in on the elongating cylinder and watched its movements.   
She looked ahead and into the dark distance between the two moving surfaces.   
The pinpricks of light appeared and she scanned them.   
Looking for familiar constellations.   
Looking for constellations as seen from either Earth or P8X-539.

But the view between the two planes kept shifting.   
Dipping, diving, climbing, sliding sideways and then spinning down and around.   
Vertigo hit her strongly again as she tried to find something to anchor to.

- - - - -

"Sam?" he was bending over her again.

"Uhhnn," she groaned and he sighed at the all-too familiar sequence.

"Please tell me you saw a 'Gate or something," he entreated.

"Sorry," she returned while still lying prone. She shook her head slowly and blinked at the familiar scene of his concerned face with the sky and Stargate as a backdrop. "I'm ok," she sent reassuringly.

He looked at her doubtfully and then apparently decided to withhold his judgment for later, "What did you see?"

"The same two planes, and the wormhole stretching and extending... and stars... in the distance... I tried to recognize any of the star configurations, but the 'window' between the two surfaces was changing too fast... I just got a good case of vertigo," she confessed.

He was silent and she looked over at him questioningly. He shrugged, "It's just hard sitting here watching you in some kind of trance... sort of communing with the 'Gate... and I can't see any of it... I can't tell if you're in danger or not... all I can see is that infernal white-orange glowing surface, and the spinning inner ring – which is damned annoying after five continuous minutes!" he vented.

She studied him for a moment quietly, feeling his frustration and then gave him a small smile, "Sorry, I wish I could show it to you. I could actually use another set of eyes... with suggestions on what to do next," she admitted.

His face softened and he asked, "How did the corset do?" and he gestured at the heavy canvas inside the harness.

She gave him a smile and a waggle of her eyebrows, "Peachy," she sent back, "I think the worst bruises will be the ones on my bum this time."

He let his eyes travel down towards that region and lifted both eyebrows, "Bruise inspection is looking up," he remarked with a hopeful tone.

She snorted softly, and started to push herself up, but quickly realized that the heavy canvas and constricting harness prevented her from bending properly at the waist. Looking up, she found his hand extended expectantly and she gave him a small grateful smile as he helped her to her feet.

"So, how do you feel?" he asked, knowing full well that she was going to want to try again as soon as possible.

She answered honestly, "A little tired, but that's all. How about one more try for the morning and then we come back in the afternoon?" she proposed.

And that was so reasonable that he couldn't find any good reasons to object.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next session and the two in the afternoon yielded the same tantalizing yet unfruitful results. Sam felt like she was so close to understanding... and yet she couldn't quite figure out the next step.

Jack watched her carefully through the late afternoon and evening. She'd wanted to run another set of sessions the next day, but he'd demanded a day off. They needed to attend to their camp and shelter, and she needed the rest. She couldn't argue with the former, but she wanted to protest the latter. She was tired, but she felt so... close... to figuring it out.

* * *

Two days later, they reassembled their apparatus around the 'Gate.

The two morning sessions were 6 minutes each. The first afternoon session had been 7 minutes and they were now prepping for an 8-minute session.

Following the now-familiar sequence, he started the camera, counted down and set his timer and she laid her palm on the 'Gate.

The images of the sliding, twisting planes and the stretching rope or thread resolved quickly. She again scanned the stars, hoping to recognize something.

Time passed.

The glowing thread that she was certain was the wormhole danced and wiggled, stretched and probed.

She watched the end, trying to discern a pattern to its wanderings.

But no patterns appeared.

Either in the star configurations or in the movement of that glowing thread.

She tried to focus on the wriggling window of the distant stars.   
Tried to recognize any patterns or configurations.

But the view kept changing, shifting, rotating and sliding.

She could feel herself tiring.

And then the images faded and her eyes focused on her hand and the stone of the 'Gate. Tired, she let her arm fall away from the 'Gate as Jack's concerned voice penetrated her thoughts.

"Sam?" and he was now standing next to her.

"I'm allright," she assured him, but he continued to eye her with concern.

"What happened?" he asked while watching her every move carefully.

She gave him a small, wan smile, "I'm not sure... the images just faded... and I lost the connection...," and her voice trailed off as she replayed the images in her mind.

He nodded, "We were approaching the 8-minute mark and I was getting set to pull you off, and you... wobbled a little... and then the event horizon snapped off and the 'Gate powered down..."

She nodded, assimilating his observations with her experiences.

"Find anything new, before it disconnected?" he asked.

She shook her head negatively and sighed, "Not yet," and her tone indicated that she was not ready to give up yet. She ran a hand through her hair and fatigue washed through her.

Watching her carefully, he picked up on it immediately, and wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her towards the pile of soft materials where she normally landed after he yanked her away from the 'Gate, "Here, sit down for a few minutes," and she didn't resist.

Taking a seat beside her, he listened as she recounted what she'd seen and felt. They discussed possible ramifications of the loss of connection, but could not determine the cause.

Eventually, they packed up and headed back to camp. Sam was obviously tired and drained and Jack insisted that they take at least two days off before returning to any further attempts to work with the 'Gate.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

Author's Note: As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts   
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)   
_Episode 603 Descent, transcript by AQ _(where Thor's mind was in the Goa'uld ship computer).

And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website

- - -


	50. 7 Min 36 Sec

"... _the images just faded... and I lost the connection...," and her voice trailed off as she replayed the images in her mind._

_He nodded, "We were approaching the 8-minute mark and I was getting set to pull you off, and you... wobbled a little... and then the event horizon snapped off and the 'Gate powered down..."_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 50: 7 MIN 36 SEC**

- - -

Three days later and they returned to try again. Each morning session yielded the same results that they'd experienced in that last afternoon session days before. Just before reaching the 8 minute mark, Sam would lose the connection.

For the afternoon sessions, she asked him to watch the timer carefully to pinpoint exactly when the connection faded. Jack was actually grateful for something to do. Not that he wanted to yank her off the 'Gate, but now that he didn't even have that to do, the seven-plus minutes of watching her stand there in a trance were extremely boring.

Seven minutes and thirty-six seconds.   
Both times.

Seven minutes and thirty-six seconds.   
What did that mean?

At the end of the second one, he couldn't help but notice that she couldn't hide how tired she was. Tugging her over to the now-unused landing pad, she took a seat without protest and he sat down beside her.

"I like this way of landing a lot more than the previous... method," she confessed with a tired smile.

"Not as exciting," he pointed out.

"Not as dramatic," she agreed.

"Not as much flare," he continued.

"Not as jarring," she pointed out with a rueful grin.

"No more bruise inspection," and he played up a sorrowful face and she couldn't help but smile. He smirked, always pleased with himself for being the cause of that smile.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Talk during and after dinner was limited. Sam was engrossed with her internal musings over what she'd seen and experienced along with the new discovery that she could only hold the connection for seven minutes and thirty-six seconds.

"So, whatcha thinking?" he interrupted her reverie.

She looked up at him, startled, "What?"

He smiled and repeated his question with learned patience, "Whatcha thinking?" and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

The thoughtful look descended on her face again, "Just trying to figure out why the sessions end at seven minutes and thirty-six seconds...," and her voice drifted off. He nodded silently and waited for her to continue. "We know that a standard wormhole can only be sustained for 38 minutes," she thought outloud. "Why it's 38 minutes, we don't know...," and she glanced over at him and he just nodded again to show that he was listening. "Here, we have some kind of.. different.. wormhole... and it can only be sustained for seven minutes and thirty-six seconds..."

"Different wormhole, different length of time," he summarized and she nodded back at him.

"But why 38 minutes for one, and only a little over seven and a half minutes for the other?" she questioned and then muttered, "Seven minutes and thirty six seconds...," as she stared into the campfire and he could swear he could almost _see_ those mental wheels turning.

"If you're not careful, you'll strip a gear," he offered jokingly.

Not following his thoughts, she looked at him with a look of incomprehension. "What?" as she tried to figure out what 'Gate gears he was referring to.

"I was talking about the invisible gears," and he pointed to her head, "in there."

She stared at him for a moment and almost managed to keep the smile off of her face, but it escaped against her will and she looked down at the ground, "Why seven minutes and thirty-six seconds...why 38 minutes...?" and her voice trailed off again as she let the numbers sift through her mind.

He shrugged and joined her contemplation of the fire and then she looked up suddenly, "Thirty-eight minutes is 2280 seconds... and seven minutes and thirty-six seconds is 456 seconds...," and she said it with such confidence that he knew that it was supposed to mean something significant.

But what that significance was...? "OK...," he offered, willing to accept her conversions.

"It's 20 percent... one-fifth the amount of time," she explained and then continued, "The length of time that I can stay connected is one-fifth of the time that a 'regular' wormhole can generally be sustained."

He looked at her, trying to decide whether something profound or sarcastic would work best as a reply. She continued however, saving him the dilemma, "Which does not explain why the Stargate has these limits. We still don't know if these are limitations imposed by the technology, or if they are limitations imposed by the Ancients who engineered the 'Gate system."

"And knowing these answers would...?" he asked.

"Help us understand more about how the 'Gate works and therefore, what we can do with it," she answered.

"Like controlling this new orange-white wormhole," he interpreted practically and she nodded.

- - - - -

Again, they took the next two days off and busied themselves with camp chores while Sam recuperated. With their new discovery of the time limit, Sam was itching to find their next discovery and she tried convincing him that one day off was sufficient, but he was adamant that she have at least two days off before attempting to work the 'Gate again.

Sam spent some of the time working on her notes and records of their series of experiments. As the days and weeks were passing, she began compiling a short summary chronology for reference and indexing. Sticking with their 6-day week, she scanned her notes which, as with most scientific notes, were full of internal abbreviations and acronyms that would render them indecipherable to all but the most dedicated of fellow scientists.

**Day 1;** 43rd Day On Planet (DOP), _(50th 'EarthDay'EDOnPlanet)_, week (WK) 8   
- - - First tested hourglass etching. Gate powered-up (GPU) when I touched it   
- - - Inner ring moving (IRM) Orange-white event horizon (OWEH)

**Days 2-10;** through the end of WK 9 - - - resting

**Day 11;** 53rd DOP _(61ED)_; beginning of WK 10; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Session 1 for roughly 30 sec; Sess. 2 for 2 min.; Sess 3 for 3 min; Sess. 4 for 4 min.

**Days 12-15;** 54-57 DOP, _(62-66ED)_; WK 10 - - - resting; Jack heals my bruises

**Day 16; **58th DOP _(67ED)_; WK 10; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1 for 5 min; Sess. 2 for 5 min; Sess. 3 for 6 min; Sess. 4 for 6 min.

**Day 17;** 59th DOP _(68.8ED)_, WK 10 - - - camp chores and recuperating (CCR)

**Day 18;** 60st DOP _(70ED)_, end of WK 10; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1 for 6 min; Sess. 2 for 6 min; Sess. 3 for 7 min; Sess. 4 for 7 min 36 sec.   
- - - Session 4 ends on its own.

**Day 19-20;** 61nd and 62rd DOP _(71-72ED)_; WK 11 - - - CCR

**Day 21;** 63th DOP _(73ED)_; WK 11; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1-4 for 7 min 36 sec each.   
- - - Determined the time limit for maintaining this type of wormhole.   
- - - 20 percent of 38 minute 'normal' wormhole time limit

**Day 22-23;** 64th and 65th DOP _(74.7-75.8ED)_; WK 11 - - - CCR

**Day 24;** 66th DOP _(77ED)_;   
- - -

And Day 24's entries would be made tomorrow. Quickly scanning over her more detailed logs and observations, she added notations and comments here and there. Next, she re-read Jack's logs and observations and then cross-referenced sections with her own. When she was finished, she sat back and watched the water in the river ripple by while her thoughts grappled with the physics equations and models required to explain what they were experiencing.

Jack watched her from his spot next to his fishing pole. He knew that her mind was working on the scientific puzzle, but he was grateful that her body was getting its needed rest and recovery time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Day 24 since she'd first tested the hourglass etching arrived with a clear sky but the now-common chilly temperatures.

The camera was set and recording. Each session was dutifully recorded and the sequences of photos were downloaded and indexed to match the proper day and session.

Jack checked and rechecked Sam's harness and canvas corset.

The two morning sessions each lasted the 7 minutes and 36 seconds.

Each time, Sam saw the same two rippling planes of fibrous light and the twisting wormhole. Nothing she tried allowed her to identify or recognize any star configurations or anything that they could use to direct the groping wormhole.

Jack watched her as carefully as ever, observing that she was notably tired after each session. He was tempted to insist that they should wait another few days before the next attempt, but she'd been so good about waiting patiently through the previous two days off, that he didn't have the heart to suggest cutting this day's research short.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rippling planes twisted and contorted as they flew by above and beneath her.   
The wormhole reached, stretched and searched restlessly.   
The stars glinting in the distance swam and slid out of view.   
New patterns of stars immediately taking their places.

And then everything jolted.   
As if someone jerked a movie camera.

And then the images resolved again.   
And with stunning clarity she_ felt _the movement of the wormhole.   
She directed it to go to the right. _And it did.   
_She directed it to-

And everything disappeared.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Just a few moments earlier..._

The first session after their midday break was coming to an end. As each session was now ending rather sedately (instead of with his yanking her onto her backside), he was now able to steady her a little as she refocused on the physical world around her. He watched the timer sweep towards 7 minutes and he stepped over next to her, ready to lend support when she disconnected from the 'Gate.

Taking one last step to reach her side, his boot caught on one of the small rocks around the 'Gate and he tipped forward and reached out instinctively for balance – steadying himself with his hand on her arm.

The instant he touched her, he reeled from the sensations.

A fizzing like electricity coursed through him and an image of a glowing thread flashed in his mind.

And then it was gone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Jack?"

"Wha-?"

"Are you allright?" she was looking at him with concern.

"Uh..," and he looked around. Sam, the 'Gate, the harness... "Uh, yeah," he finally responded.

"What happened?" she asked, still studying him intently.

"I'm not sure," he admitted and then shook his head as if to clear it. "It was getting near the 7 minute mark and I stepped over to be ready for when you disconnected from the 'Gate... and I stumbled on... a rock or something," and he looked down for the offending object and then continued, "... I grabbed your arm for balance... you were still connected...," he paused and looked at her briefly before continuing, "When I touched you, it felt like a low grade electrical shock," and he immediately saw worry flash over her face, "Low grade," he repeated and then continued before she could object, "and an image of a long, white glowing ribbon flashed in my mind... and then it was gone."

She nodded thoughtfully, "I think something changed when you touched me, Jack," she ventured and he waited curiously.

"I couldn't recognize any patterns or configurations of the stars... and I couldn't see any pattern or direction to the movements of the end of the wormhole... but... then... everything jerked... and I think that's when you touched me," and she glanced over at him, "and then for a brief moment, I could _feel_ the end of the wormhole... and I'm pretty sure that I _made it move_ a little... and then everything disappeared," she finished.

"So that white glowing snaky-thing is the wormhole?" he asked.

Nodding, she grinned, "Cool, isn't it?"

He shrugged, "Seen one snake...,"

She rolled her eyes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He watched her circumspectly as they ate dinner. She was obviously tired, but she was still churning over ideas in her head. Thinking about the ramifications and possibilities of what had happened when he'd touched her. She was a mixture of subdued excitement and intensity. And he was fairly sure of what was restraining her otherwise natural scientific fervor.

"So?" he asked open-endedly.

She looked up from the dinner she was eating but paying no attention to, "Hm?"

"So... any ideas about the... what happened when I touched you?" he specified conversationally.

She nodded absently, "I don't know how it works... or why... but it seems to require both of us...," and she met his eyes, "I think that the two of us could get the wormhole to connect to another 'Gate – to _which_ 'Gate I'm not sure, but I think we could direct it – we just need to figure out how to identify Earth or some other planet that we know is safe."

He looked back at her silently and then gave her a twinkling grin and simply said, "Cool."

She couldn't stop her smile at his affectionate mocking of her earlier comment. Then she continued thoughtfully, "We do have a problem, though..."

And he finished her sentence, "Who pulls us off if we both turn into zombies?"

She nodded and stared thoughtfully into the fire.

- - - - -

They started discussing the options and potential risks. As the evening wore on, Sam had to face the reality that she was going to have to admit the one risk to him that she hadn't shared weeks ago. When the risk had been only to herself.

"Sam?" he asked for the third time, half-perturbed that she wasn't listening to him, half-amused that she was lost once again in her overactive brain.

She looked up and realized from his tone that he'd probably been trying to get her attention for some time, "Sorry," and she sent him a small apologetic smile.

"Where were you?" he asked with honest curiosity.

She looked up guiltily and then looked away and sighed. "Just thinking...,"

"Oh. My. Gawd!" he mugged and she couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile a little, but then her smile quickly faded – something that he noticed immediately. "What is it?" he asked again.

She met his eyes briefly and then closed her eyes and took a breath, "There's one more risk... or consideration we have to consider...," she started and then paused.

"What?" he prompted.

"There is a chance... or a possibility... that it might work something like the Lantonan's Asgard protection device...," she hesitantly offered.

He looked back with a puzzled expression as he searched his memories and then he made the connections, "That thing that Greaves...?" and then he stared at her hard, recognizing that she'd realized this possibility weeks ago. And she hadn't said anything.

She watched the anger flare and burn in his eyes and waited for the fall-out.

The silence stretched between them and the fire seemed to pop and crackle with his annoyance.

"So - what? I would have been standing there and you could have just gone all glowy and then disappeared?" His voice was low and deep with anger, "What? You figured the wormhole would have connected and that would make everything fine???"

She winced but shouldered his words because she knew they were justified. When Colonel Greaves had merged with the Lantonan protection device, the Tauri had provided 'the human component' and the hostile Jaffa had been transported away. When she was the only one connected to the 'Gate, she hadn't mentioned the possibility that it too, might require 'a human component' – require it...and use it... up. She searched her mind for something to say, but couldn't find an explanation or apology that he'd accept.

He searched her eyes and knew that she hadn't been willing to take the chance that he wouldn't let her try to work the 'Gate. And he had to admit that he didn't know if he would have allowed it. But he was still angry that he hadn't had the choice. That she hadn't told him. Or that he hadn't seen the similarities and the subsequent risk himself.

She opened her mouth to say something, but words failed her, and she closed her mouth silently and looked back at the fire.

He also knew that if the positions had been reversed, he probably wouldn't have told her. For the same reasons that she hadn't told him. They were so different and yet so alike, and that made a small smile quirk the edges of his mouth as his anger ebbed a little. She looked at him uncertainly and his smile grew just a little more.

"Getting me back for not telling you about the broken ribs?" he asked challengingly, referring to their adventure in Antarctica.

Surprise crossed her face at his joke and then relief and she sent him a small smile along with, "And don't forget the punctured lung," she pointed out.

"Right," he nodded and then stood up and she watched him expectantly. "Look Sam, I understand what you did and why...and I know that if the positions were reversed, I'd have probably done the same thing... but I'm still pretty pissed-off," and she nodded her understanding. "I'm going to... head to bed," and he stepped over towards the tent.

'G'nite," she sent after him softly.

He unzipped the tent doors and she barely heard a soft, "Goodnight, Sam," float over as he zipped the tent back up.

- - - - -

She stayed up for another three hours.   
Watching the stars.   
Pondering how their relationship had developed over the past three months.

General O'Neill would have simply dressed her down for not informing her superior officer of all of the possibilities and/or risks. And that included any possible dangers to herself. He'd always reserved the right to apply that rule in one direction only... allowing himself to conceal his injuries and the risk to himself. Never leaving any of them behind, but reserving the right to order her to leave him behind. From Colonel to Captain and Major, or General to Colonel, he had always been the superior officer and she the subordinate.

But here, after almost three months stranded on this planet, things had changed.   
He'd allowed them to change.   
He'd allowed equality in their relationship.   
Now, there were suggestions and recommendations instead of orders.

And here and now, he was recognizing that she wasn't simply his 2IC anymore. That they were two people stuck on this planet. Two people with strong feelings for each other... each willing to sacrifice themselves for the other.

He obviously wanted to rant and rail at her, yet he hadn't.

She let out a long, slow breath and wondered where the coming weeks would take them.

- - - - -

When she finally crept into the tent, she found him facing away and towards the tent wall. She could tell by his breathing that he wasn't asleep, but he didn't say anything, so she didn't disturb him. Shedding her clothes from the day for the t-shirt and pants that she had elected for sleepwear, she slipped under the covers. Giving him his space, she lay on her side away from him.

He lay with his eyes open in the dark, listening to her get settled for the night. Memories of his feelings that day in the clearing after the accident surfaced. Gratitude for another chance. His feelings for her as he watched her sleeping. And the words of that oh-so-familiar song floated through his mind as his memory replayed those images and feelings.

..._and he said someday I hope you get the chance   
_..._to live like you were dying.   
_..._Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about   
_..._what'd you do with it? what did you do with it?_

..._and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying   
_..._and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter   
_..._and I became a friend a friend would like to have _

..._and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying   
_..._and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying_

The words echoed in his head and he knew that he'd already forgiven her... but she didn't know that.

The covers moved and she felt his arm around her waist as he spooned up behind her.

"I'm still angry, but I'll get over it," he spoke quietly.

"I-," she started to speak... to say just what she didn't know, but he saved her by interrupting.

"It might take a few weeks... a few trips to the lake... a few back rubs...," he continued.

"I think that can be arranged," she returned softly.

A few moments of silence and then, "Of course, all would be forgiven if you could figure out how to get the Simpsons to show on the event horizon..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

Author's Notes:

As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts   
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)   
_Episode 502, 'The Sentinel', transcript by Liz   
__Episode 603 'Descent', transcript by AQ _(where Thor's mind was in the Goa'uld ship computer).

And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website for information about Episode 502, in particular.

And as in Chapter 43 (Mortality), the lyrics quoted earlier are from the song 'Live Like You Were Dying', by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols. If you'd like to hear the song sung by Tim McGraw, go to www**_dot_**smashitsusa**_dot_**com/index.cfm?PageAudio&SubPagealbumdetails&AlbumID634 (and replace the **_dot_**s with periods)

- - -


	51. Jointly

"_I'm still angry, but I'll get over it," he spoke quietly. A few moments of silence and then, "Of course, all would be forgiven if you could figure out how to get the Simpsons to show on the event horizon..." _

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 51: JOINTLY**

- - -

They mutually agreed to three days off before they would attempt another experiment with the 'Gate. This time they both wanted the time off. As usual, Jack wanted Sam to rest and recover before another set of sessions with the 'Gate. Sam wanted the time to think about the ramifications of having Jack connected with her. Just as he had struggled to deal with having her in danger, she now struggled to anticipate the new risk and dangers to him.

As with many of their previous days off, they searched for straight, smooth logs that would be of use for the construction of their more permanent shelter. They had planned a floor of split logs so that they would be up and out of the mud. Next would come a simple log-cabin architecture with V-notch joins. Then they would chink (fill in any holes or drafts) with mud... of which they had a seemingly endless supply.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sam studied her notes on the laptop screen.

**Day 22-23;** 64th and 65th DOP _(74.7-75.8ED)_; WK 11 - - - CCR

**Day 24;** 66th DOP _(77ED)_; end of WK 11; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1 and 2 for 7 min 36 sec each.   
- - - Sess 3 – at end of session, Jack touched me... and I think we controlled the wormhole for a second before the session ended.

**Day 25-27;** 67, 68 and 69th DOP _(78-80ED)_; WK 12   
- - - CCR, planning and assembling materials for more permanent shelter

**Day 28;** 70th DOP _(81.7ED)_; WK 12;   
- - -

_DOP - Days on Planet................................ ED - Earth Days on Planet    
__GPU – Gate Powered Up.......................... IRM – Inner Ring Moved   
__WK – week.................................................. OWEH – Orange-White Event Horizon   
__CCR – camp chores and resting_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Today was the 28th day since she'd first touched the hourglass etching on the 'Gate. She was nervous and concerned about the possible risk or dangers to Jack with what they would try today. She was also excited about the possibilities of what they might be able to accomplish. And, she was looking forward to sharing the experience with him.

Jack was also excited and nervous. He was excited about getting to see what Sam was seeing... and maybe a chance to help. The risk to himself he acknowledged, but that did not garner much of his attention. He was, however, nervous about having both of them in a trance-like state at the same time. With no one to watch for any outside danger or risk. No one to yank them off of the 'Gate if the need arose. He placated himself with the fact that they had encountered few large-scale dangers on this planet. Attack from a fever or a landslide should not be problems that they would have to worry about in a 7 and a half minute time-span in the 'Gate clearing.

- - - - -

By 1000 hours, they were ready.

Jack started the camera and then stepped over next to Sam. "On my mark," he intoned and she nodded silently, "Three, two, one, mark."

She placed her palm on the hourglass etching and closed her eyes. The familiar sensations washed over her. She felt the 'Gate power up and the vibrations of the inner ring moving. The cold stone quickly warmed gently under her palm and then she saw the blurry images which quickly resolved into the familiar two planes and the just-sprouting wormhole.

He watched her carefully for the full minute that they had prearranged. To give her time to get settled before he attempted to join her.

As the one minute mark passed, he gently laid his hand on her forearm.

And just as four days ago, a mild fizzing similar to electricity fizzed through his body.   
Images popped into his mind.   
And one image dominated.   
An image of a long, glowing thread.

It was slowly weaving and wandering... as if groping blindly for something.

And then he felt _her_.   
She was a sensation of soft warmth in his mind.   
She was turning their attention back to the glowing thread.   
'The wormhole' popped softly into his mind and he knew that it was from her.

He focused on that slowly twisting white strand.

They pushed it to their right... and it went.   
They stretched it... and it stretched.   
They pulled it slowly into a lazy corkscrew.

They were directing its movement and direction.

And he saw the two twisting planes gradually fade into the scene. And then he saw the distant field of stars that she had described.

Vertigo washed over him and he could feel her lending him her stability and familiarity with the sensations.

Refocusing on the ever-lengthening wormhole, they directed its movements again, but found that they couldn't force it to touch either of the two twisting planes. The planes and the wormhole appeared to repel each other.

Time lost meaning for the two officers as they stood silently next to the alien 'Gate with the orange-white event horizon.

- - - -

Fatigue washed over both of them as the images faltered and then faded as the connection ended. They both stood unsteadily for a few moments as their minds returned to the reality of the physical world around them.

"Whoa...," Jack muttered and Sam gave him a tired grin.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" she sent back softly as she lowered herself to a sitting position. He shook his head in amazement and opened his mouth, but words failed him and she couldn't stop the face splitting grin that erupted across her face, "Wow! Jack O'Neill is speechless! What I wouldn't give for Ferretti to see that!"

He quirked an eyebrow at her and ignored her jibe, "That was one of the most amazing experiences of my life," he admitted and then continued, "Even if I didn't understand it."

"Join the club," she sent back empathetically.

And that made him smile, "Pretty exclusive club?" as he sat down beside her.

She smiled back, "Oh yeah," and then she focused on him thoughtfully, "What did you see?"

He sighed and let the images play through his mind, "I saw... this glowing white thread...," and she nodded, "And you told me that it was the wormhole...," and she smiled shyly and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Sam, I could feel you... in my mind... like a soft warmth...," his voice was dropping to just above a whisper.

"I could feel you too," she agreed and then her smile grew a little, "but it was more like a gentle fizzing...," and his eyebrows rose at her description and she shrugged apologetically.

"So...there was this white glowing wormy-thing... the wormhole," he corrected and shot her a look to catch her bemusement, "and we sort of...pushed it around a little...?" and she nodded again but did not interrupt his description. "Then those two rippling planes... of light... slowly appeared... sort of faded in," he added and when she didn't object or comment he continued, "Finally, I saw the stars...way off in the distance... between the two moving planes," and the sensations washed over him, "And I got a good case of vertigo," he admitted and she smiled sympathetically. "I could feel you holding on to me... giving me something to hold onto when it felt like everything was sliding and slipping away in three different directions at once."

She shrugged, "I just knew what to expect - although, it still catches me off-guard a couple of times in each session," and her eyes lost focus as she watched the mental images in her memory, "It's more intense than any vertigo I've ever experienced in a jet or the X-302."

He nodded his agreement, "Can't argue with you there."

"So what next?" she gently prompted.

"Next... we focused on directing the wormhole... and we did," he stated and she nodded her silent agreement, "We pushed it in every direction, up, down, right, left, in, out, we stretched it and shortened it... twisted it and straightened it... and we could only push it so close to either of those two rippling planes." He took a breath and then finished with, "And then everything faded when it ended."

"That pretty much jives with what I saw and felt," she agreed. "You didn't see anything that looked like a Stargate did you?" she asked with a sly smile as she asked him the same question that he'd asked her after the end of so many of the previous sessions.

He looked back at ruefully and admitted, "No... didn't see any signposts or directions either."

She nodded and they lapsed into a few moments of silence.

"Your turn," he asked for her experiences.

She shrugged, "Pretty much like all of the other sessions with the exceptions that I could feel you... in my mind," and she tapped the side of her temple and gave him a small smile, "and that we were controlling the wormhole."

Another few moments of silence passed as they each pondered their experiences.

"I think that the two rippling planes might be part of how the direction of the wormhole is controlled," she postulated outloud and then glanced over to gauge his reaction. He lifted his eyebrows, inviting her to continue. "Every time we pushed the wormhole over near either of the planes, we could only get the end of the wormhole so close... and no further... it was as if there was a repulsive field interaction between the plane and the wormhole."

He thought that one over, but couldn't confirm or refute the idea, so he didn't reply. Apparently not bothered by his lack of response, she lapsed off into silent reverie as her mind churned through the scientific possibilities. Consequently, he was surprised when she was the one to break the lengthening silence, "How do you feel?" she asked and he could hear her concern.

"A little tired," he admitted, "But... I'm kinda looking forward to trying it again," and he gave her a slightly sheepish smile as they both remembered his reluctance to let her try again after each successive session.

"Ahhh, the enthusiasm of the new plebe," she assessed with a knowing smile and then her tone turned introspective, "The whole experience is pretty beautiful."

"Yeah, that and getting to have you in my mind," he asserted with a waggle of his eyebrows as he stood up and offered her a hand.

She blushed and ducked her head briefly before looking back up as she took the proffered hand to stand beside him. "I'll get the camera images downloaded so that we can set up for another session," she commented as she moved off to pick up her laptop.

Watching her affectionately, he offered, "I'll take a quick look around and make sure that everything is how we left it," and then he reluctantly pulled his attention from her and directed it to the area around the 'Gate.

- - - - -

They each recorded their observations on their own laptops and then set everything back up for their second attempt of the morning. Once everything was ready to go, they took a half-hour break, complete with a small snack.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For the second session, as with the first, he joined her after she reached the one minute mark. Again, he felt that sensation like a mild electrical fizzing, but it faded quickly into the soft warmth that he recognized as her presence. The long, glowing thread of the wormhole materialized before him and then the images of the two rippling planes... and finally he could see the distant vista of stars sliding by.

Strong vertigo washed over him and again, she gave him the stability he needed.

They focused on the end of the groping wormhole.   
Trying to see where they could get it to go.   
Trying to figure out where they were supposed to direct it.

And then something flashed across his vision. Startled and immediately concerned about potential new threats he tried to pull back – and he tried to pull her back with him. She felt his concern and he felt her scientific curiosity. She focused on the view before them and they slowly found a new image... another glowing thread... light blue... and it stretched across their view of the stars in the distance.

The central portion of their view of the distant stars was now holding steady as they watched the glowing ribbon of light blue. And then their view expanded... their two rippling planes appearing to move and bend away from each other. Their white glowing wormhole floundered aimlessly in the larger volume of space.

He felt her focusing on the light blue ribbon. The new object in their experience. And then the view expanded again and the two planes appeared to pull even further away from each other. He could feel her directing the expansion of their view.

And now they could see one end of the light blue ribbon.

Slowly their view focused in on that one end. Again, he could feel her control over the magnification effect... it was as if she'd found the controls on a giant microscope. Zooming in closer and closer, the two rippling planes slowly came back towards each other. Confining their glowing white ribbon to a narrow shifting corridor.

And then the light blue ribbon winked out.

Still focused on where it had ended, however, they directed the end of their white glowing ribbon. He could feel her scientific curiosity and excitement as they aimed the end of their wormhole at a real destination.

He sent her a question and he _felt_ her sigh.   
He couldn't help but be amused.   
And then he felt her slight annoyance at his amusement... albeit tinged with affection.

She didn't let her focus waver from where the light blue ribbon had ended.

'Just for a second?' he understood her proposal.   
'Just for a second,' he acquiesced.

Cautiously they advanced the wormhole towards their goal.   
She provided most of the focus, while he watched warily.

Closer, closer... closer...

And then, it connected.

Their glowing white ribbon stretched in a long graceful arc out and down and over to that distance point in space. The rippling of the two planes smoothed out as they too mimicked the long graceful arc of their wormhole.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	52. Silent Glittering

_The image of the alien night sky of glittering sparks of light against a deep black.   
__And in the background were the words   
_"_So... would it be correct to say... that you... just have this 'feeling' that they are ok?"   
_"_It would." _

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 52: SILENT GLITTERING**

- - -

She ran her hand over the barrel of Jack's telescope as she sat in one of the folding chairs on his viewing deck. A slight breeze made her pull her jacket tighter around her shoulders. But she wasn't quite ready to head home for the night.

She looked up at the dark night sky. Her eyes skipped over the now-familiar Tauri constellations. As she had done so often for the past three months, she wondered which one they were near.

And she wondered if they could see the Earth's sun from where they were.   
Which star were they seeing during the day wherever they were?

Her eyes roamed the night sky... as a part of her hoped for some kind of sign.   
Some kind of... something... that would indicate where they were.

Her thoughts drifted over the events of her life... her people murdered... her life saved by SG-1... then she was brought here... the naquadah in her blood... the Goa'uld plot against the Tauri... the bunker... Sam, who'd refused to leave her... and then a life here... Janet had given her a home and become a second mother... Jack had given her a puppy... Sam was like an aunt and Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were like uncles...

Her eyes drifted to the pattern of stars where Sam had told her that Hanka, her home planet, was in the Tauri night sky.

She stared at the tiny glittering speck that was Hanka's sun.   
That was her home... and she was here looking back at it.

This was their home... were they out there somewhere looking back at her right now?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

One of those beings called the Ascended floated ethereally nearby.   
Watching and absorbing the actions of the corporeal.   
Understanding, sympathizing and empathizing.   
But not allowed to interact.

That which was now Janet Frasier watched her daughter and joined her as she scanned the sparkling array in the heavens above.

But unlike her daughter's roaming eyes, Janet focused unerringly on a small tiny speck, barely visible to the corporeal eye. In a way different from Teal'c, Janet could feel the presence of her two stranded friends. She could feel their very essences. And she could feel their attempts to operate the alien Stargate.

She didn't know if they would succeed to create a connection with Earth. She didn't know if they would survive the trials and tribulations of what could lie ahead. But she did know that what they were currently learning about each other was more important than much of what else might happen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jacob Carter stepped outside the Tokra tunnels onto the latest desert planet chosen as the current Tokra base. His eyes turned upwards as he struggled with his emotions.

Scanning the alien stars, he drew on his memories of the star charts in the current Tokra command center and Selmac's centuries of galactic knowledge to recognize star configurations and patterns. Once he had identified a familiar framework for reference, he quickly worked out the location of Earth from this planet's perspective.

With his eyes fixed on Earth's sun, he allowed himself a few moments of silent regret. Regret that the Tokra and the Tauri did not have better communications... or relations... Regret that he hadn't even known that she was missing. And she had been missing for _three months_...

The information that had been relayed back to the Tokra base told them little else. Just that one General Jack O'Neill and one Colonel Sam Carter had been missing for the past three months.

And he had no idea what that meant.   
Questions flooded his mind.   
Lost how?   
Lost where?   
Lost doing what?   
Last seen doing what?

The silent stars could not answer him.

His eyes scanned the glittering diamonds above.   
She could be anywhere...and his heart clenched.   
A parent's pain for a hurt or missing child was a pain equaled by no other.

'Samantha is an extremely capable young woman,' Selmac finally spoke up softly.

'Yes, but she's not invincible,' Jacob pointed out with anger... not at Selmac, but at a universe that threatened his child.

'And if she is with O'Neill, then the two of them will most likely prevail against whatever their current circumstances require,' the Tokra predicted with confidence.

Jacob did not answer, but Selmac could feel the Tauri's hope swell desperately in his chest.

'She wanted to be an astronaut from the age of... oh... eight or nine or somewhere in there,' Jacob spoke softly to the Tokra in his mind. 'She wanted to fly among the stars... and walk on other planets...'

'And she has,' Selmac returned softly.

"Yes...and she has also had to deal with some of the worst evil that this galaxy has to offer,' he countered angrily.

Selmac did not attempt to answer that. The Tokra had been fighting the Goa'uld for centuries and the symbiote knew that periods of anger and angst were normal.

'I need to help look for her,' Jacob stated softly but clearly.

Selmac answered with a mental nod that only Jacob could sense, 'I know,' and he sensed the Tauri's relief that there would not be an argument. 'We will contact the Tauri and ask them for a list of the planets that they have searched and which planets remain to be searched. We can then decide which of the planets we have the resources and time to search ourselves.'

Jacob nodded with a heavy heart. The Tokra could only do so much as they always had so many of their resources and personnel already committed to long-term undercover projects.

His eyes scanned the stars, unknowingly mimicking Cassandra Frasier's unconscious thoughts and hopes as he wished for a sign. For some indication that Sam and Jack were... there... or there... or there..., and his eyes stopped on random stars with each thought.

A flash of light skimmed across his peripheral vision and he saw a thin trail of light dim quickly to nothing.

A shooting star.   
A meteorite burning up in this alien atmosphere.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and then reopened them.   
The stars sparkled silently.

And his eyes went back to scanning and roaming the shining pinpoints, hoping for inspiration or discovery.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_P2X-605_

The alien Stargate powered up and the wormhole flushed outwards with its characteristic kawoosh before settling down to the sedate, light-blue rippling pool.

Two green-clad figures stumbled from the shimmering light and immediately sank to their knees.

Lt. Jennifer Hailey and Dr. Dragon Rider exited the wormhole to discover that Teal'c and Daniel Jackson appeared injured. Immediately the two women scanned the surroundings for hostiles or any recognizable dangers.

The area around the 'Gate appeared quiet, however, and Lt. Hailey spoke softly while continuing to watch for any signs of danger, "Teal'c, Daniel?"

Neither man answered immediately although the Jaffa was already pulling himself to his full height, albeit just a tad shakily. Dr. Rider leant Dr. Jackson a steadying hand as he too straightened up and looked around unsteadily.

"That was... unsettling...," Daniel finally offered.

"Indeed," the Jaffa returned uninformatively.

"Errr... fellas?" Dragon looked back and forth between the two men.

"Didn't you feel it?" Daniel asked.

"Feel what?" the zoologist returned with a look of askance and Lt. Hailey reinforced it with her own look of expectance.

Daniel's brow furrowed, "The ride through the wormhole... it wasn't... a bit different for you?"

Dragon looked at Jennifer and saw that the other woman did not know what the archeologist was referring to, "Different...how?" she asked curiously.

"It was... normal at first... and then I... lost my balance... and when we exited here, I was dizzy and disoriented for a few seconds... It was like the first few times that I went through the wormhole eight to ten years ago...," and he looked over at Teal'c for his perspective.

Without prompting the Jaffa offered, "I too lost my... stability... while we traveled through the wormhole, and upon arrival, I experienced a few moments of dizziness and nausea not unlike my first encounters with travel through the Chapa'ai when I was young."

Both women listened politely and then Dragon spoke up, "Well, I thought the ride was a bit rougher than usual, but I felt fine when we exited. How about you Jennifer?"

The young officer shrugged, "It was a bit more of a rush than normal, but I wasn't dizzy or anything when the ride was over."

Dragon eyed the two men critically, "How do you feel now?"

Daniel shrugged, "Fine, great, no dizziness."

She turned to the Jaffa who supplied, "I am no longer experiencing difficulties."

The two women shared a look and then turned back to the men, "Do you want to head back to the SGC and have them check you two out?"

The two men studied each other for a moment and then Daniel shook his head, "Not for me."

Teal'c studied his team silently and weighed their options. Their original mission plan was a 15-kilometer walk to a known nearby village of friendly natives followed by camping-out overnight before heading back to the 'Gate the next morning. "We shall search the area immediately surrounding the 'Gate and then reassess our status in one hour's time," he directed and the other three silently nodded and began walking down the steps while alertly scanning for any signs of the two missing officers.

- - - - - -

The four searchers sat around the campfire that evening. Neither Daniel nor Teal'c had exhibited any ill effects from their rougher-than-usual trip through the wormhole, so they had elected to continue with the mission.

The previously-known natives had been just as friendly as before. They had unfortunately, no news of the two missing SGC officers. The four Tauri had shared the evening meal with the villagers and then spent a few hours talking and sharing conversation before retiring to their campsite.

"It's amazing how many of them we still haven't been to," Dragon spoke quietly while looking up at the alien sky.

Not needing more specific words, the others silently nodded and continued their own visual scans of the unfamiliar star configurations.

Lt. Jennifer Hailey saw the spectacular breadth of the heavens and wondered at their scientific chances of finding the General and the Colonel.

Daniel Jackson saw the infinite possibilities and asked, "What do you think the chances are that they are looking up at the sky right now, trying to find their way home, searching for a way to us... just as we are searching for them?"

Teal'c saw that oh-so-familiar-unfamiliar panorama of alien stars in an alien sky. And he felt that inner certainty that their comrades were out there, and this determined his path for the near future. "I believe that the chances are extremely high DanielJackson. If it is at all possible to find a way to return, then JackO'Neill and SamanthaCarter will find it."

And the stars silently glittered against the deep black of space as four sets of eyes scanned and searched all that they could see.

- - - - -

_TBC_

- - - - -

* * *

- - - - - 

Author's Notes: As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts   
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)   
_Episode 114, 'Singularity', transcript by Lauren Freeman_

And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website

- - -


	53. Pale Orange

- - -

_She didn't let her focus waver from where the light blue ribbon had ended.   
_'_Just for a second?' he understood her proposal.   
_'_Just for a second,' he acquiesced.   
__Cautiously they advanced the wormhole towards their goal.   
__She provided most of the focus, while he watched warily.   
__Closer, closer... closer..._

_And then, it connected. _

_Their glowing white ribbon stretched in a long graceful arc out and down and over to that distance point in space. The rippling of the two planes smoothed out as they too mimicked the long graceful arc of their wormhole._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 53: PALE ORANGE**

- - -

_- - - _

'Now we're done,' he thought firmly and she didn't object.

They broke the connection and then watched as the end of their glowing white ribbon relaxed and contracted while the two planes began gently undulating.

He could feel her excitement and satisfaction.

They had just made real progress.

After what seemed only a few moments more, the images faded and the connection ended.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They both crumpled to the ground.   
Disorientation and exhaustion overwhelming their systems.

"Whoa...," Jack groaned and Sam was silent. "Sam?" he finally managed as he tried to focus on her.

No reply. With his vision rapidly refocusing now on the physical world around the Stargate, he pushed himself up on one elbow and leaned over to her, "Hey, Sam, say something," and he gently laid his hand on her upper arm.

She was lying on her side, half curled up, and with her eyes squinched closed. He shook her gently, "Sam," and he couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.

And then she gave a small groan followed by, "I'm here... just got... a vicious attack of vertigo and exhaustion as we disconnected," and she opened her eyes to squint at him.

"Well, just lie back and relax, there's no hurry," and at his words she closed her eyes again and relaxed under his hand and he could tell that she was concentrating on taking slow, even breaths.

A few moments of silence passed and then without moving or opening her eyes, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Just a little tired," he confessed and continued his scrutiny of her.

She slowly opened her eyes and blinked up at him. "No vertigo?"

He shook his head negatively, "Only before that blue thingy, and you helped me out there. Wish I could help you out right now, but I'm not in your head anymore," he pointed out with a small smile.

She gave him an answering smile, "Guess I'll just have to hug the ground for awhile."

"Lucky ground," he muttered just below his breath and then slapped an innocent look over his face when she looked up at him questioningly. Ignoring her silent question, he shifted his gaze into the distance. He waited patiently for a few more minutes and then asked, "Feeling any better?"

"Actually, yes," she replied and he could hear the returning strength in her voice. Hearing her moving, he turned and helped her into a sitting position alongside him. He scrutinized her face. She looked tired and worn, but he could almost visibly see her mind begin to analyze their experiences of the past 15 minutes.

He didn't even try to hide his smile of bemusement when she finally refocused on him. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," and he knew that his super-innocent tone would both annoy and amuse her.

And sure enough, she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously at the same time that he could see a smile trying to tweak the edges of her mouth.

"So...," he invited her to make observations or conclusions about their latest session with the 'Gate.

"So...," she sent back distractedly as she had quickly drifted back to sifting through various possibilities and ramifications in her mind.

"That blue ribbon was pretty cool," he decided that a little more direction was necessary.

And then she couldn't contain her smile of amusement at his words, "Yes, it was," she agreed.

"And it was...?" he prompted, needing to hear it in words.

She looked at him thoughtfully, "Another wormhole... between two other planets..."

He nodded, "That makes sense," as it agreed with what he had concluded.

"And it gave us a concrete destination to direct our wormhole to," she continued.

"And we connected," he knew the answer to that, he'd seen it.

"Yes, we did," she confirmed, "Unfortunately, we have no idea to _what _planet... we could have connected to any one of thousands and thousands of Stargates scattered across our galaxy... or even to one in another galaxy."

He lifted his eyebrows and then dropped them, "We still need to figure out some kind of directory or internal map that we can use while we are connected."

She nodded, "I have tried recognizing the configurations of stars, but the shifting view between the two planes keeps me offbalance... and I haven't been able to identify anything that I can use as reference." With a thoughtful tone, she remarked, "The view stopped moving once we focused on the light blue wormhole...," and, again, he could almost hear her mind whirring through the ramifications and possibilities.

He gave her a few more moments and then, "Allright, we've done enough for today," and he saw the reluctance in her face, but she didn't try to argue. She knew that he wouldn't be persuaded to change his mind– not after collapsing and 'hugging' the ground after they'd disconnected.

He stood up slowly and dusted himself off. "You stay there and rest a bit longer," he ordered as he made his way over to the camera. "I'll bring your doohickeys to you."

When he returned a few moments later, she was propped up against the base of the 'Gate. Handing her the camera and the laptop, he let her take care of downloading the latest sequence of pictures while he began an inspection of the area around the 'Gate. Looking for anything out of the ordinary... or anything that may have changed while they were connected to the 'Gate and unaware of their surroundings. He was still decidedly uneasy with this set-up that required that they were both essentially defenseless for seven and a half minutes. Unfortunately, he had yet to think of a viable alternative, so he had to continue to rely on the fact that this planet had yet to present them with anything that might pose a significant danger for the few minutes that they were connected.

- - - - - -

Fifteen minutes later, he returned to find her leaning back, with her eyes closed. Both the laptop and camera were powered down and sitting quietly by her side.

"Hey," he spoke softly as he approached.

She opened her eyes and gave him a wan smile, "Hey back."

"You look bushed," he assessed critically.

"Yeah, that last session took a little extra out of me... I think it must have been the connection to the other Stargate," she postulated.

He crouched down by her side and looked her straight in the eyes, "Sam, I need you to be 100-percent honest with me. You're tired... anything else?" and he waited expectantly.

She shook her head negatively, "No," and at his look she added, "I promise!" And then she gave him another small smile, "I think a good night's sleep will take care of it," she proclaimed with sincerity.

He stared at her hard for another few moments and then relented, "Well, you just stay here while I pack things up."

She opened her mouth to protest, but the reproving look on his face stopped her and she acquiesced- but then muttered just below her breath, "Yes Ja-ack," and then slapped an annoyingly familiar look of innocence on her face as he narrowed his eyes at her.

- - - - - -

When they returned to camp, Sam crashed in the tent for a nap without argument. Jack put things away and policed the camp before deciding that a nap was exactly what he wanted as well.

- - - - - -

Jack awoke to mid-afternoon light. She was cradled comfortably in his arms. He knew that he was getting too comfortable sleeping with her in his arms. If they did figure out how to get home, his nights would be decidedly lonely back in his old bed in his own home.

Unknowingly, Sam's thoughts were wandering along similar lines. She was lazily drifting just below full consciousness, unwilling to let go of the warm drowsiness. She lingered in the feeling of his embrace. His chest spooned against her back. His arm curled around her waist, and her arm snugged up against his.

He focused on her breathing, as he'd done countless times over the past few weeks. Slow and even. Healthy, full breaths. He felt reassurance warm his heart.

He knew when she woke up. He felt the slight hitch in her breath and then felt it settle back down again. "Hi," he offered quietly.

"Hi yourself," and he knew, without seeing her face, that she was smiling.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Much better, thanks," she returned quietly. "How do you feel?" she returned the question.

Smiling into the back of her head, "I actually feel pretty good," he admitted, "but I think it's not as much due to the nap as it is to the company."

He felt her chuckle more than he heard it, and then she pointed out, "It's not like you have a lot of choices on that front," and there was a warm humor in her tone that belied the harsh reality of her words.

Her words, and their meaning for both of them, sunk in though and he pulled back from her. Sensing his change of mood, she turned to look at him, "Jack?" she asked softly and with concern.

He gave her a weak and apologetic smile as he slid out from under the covers and focused on putting his boots on. She watched him silently, unsure of what to say or do.

"I'm going to... take a look around outside," he finally spoke up and then ducked out of the tent.

- - - - -

She watched him leave and then flopped back down.   
Uncertainty flooded through her.   
Their relationship had always been so complicated.   
So multilayered.

And now they were friends.   
And she knew that she was falling in love with him.   
Or had already.

His words to her constantly confused her.   
Always dancing around the edges of actually saying something concrete.   
But that was nothing new.   
That's where their relationship always seemed to be stuck.   
In the multi-layered comments and looks.

She realized that as their friendship had deepened here on this planet... that she had learned to understand Jack O'Neill, the man. She could see below the multiple layers of galactic superhero. He was still all that, but she also realized that it had helped that he hadn't _actually_ had to save the galaxy in the past three months!

She now had a strong affection for him that was deepening into love.

What she didn't know was whether or not he felt the same way... and whether or not she would be his choice simply because there were no other choices here on this planet.

- - - - - -

He paced the clearing outside the tent.   
Glancing over at the tent every now and then.   
Mulling over her words.

She was afraid that the affection that he had for her was because she was the only woman around ... and therefore his only choice.

And he too, was afraid that her feelings towards him were a product of the same situation... because she had no other choices.

And neither of them wanted to take advantage of the other's lack of choices.

Great! And he silently cursed their situation.

He paced and muttered for another half-hour. Finally spent, he focused on the quiet tent. Steeling himself, he walked over and unzipped the tent. Sticking his head in, he saw her looking back at him. "You don't have to stay in here," and he kept his voice non-confrontational.

She eyed him uncertainly, "I'm sor-,"

And he interrupted gently, "So am I," and he gave her a small smile. "C'mon, let's start getting stuff ready for dinner. We missed lunch."

She watched him for another moment and then gave him a very small, hopeful smile and a nod. "I'll be out in a few minutes," and she started rooting around for her jacket and boots.

- - - - -

They quietly worked around camp. Taking care of camp chores and dinner preparations didn't require much discussion. They each knew what needed to be done and pitched in on whatever task needed to be completed next.

After dinner, their conversation focused on their experiences during that last session with the 'Gate. By unspoken agreement they mutually agreed to temporarily postpone further discussion of the topics almost broached this afternoon... which proved that even intergalactic heroes could be cowards in some facets of their lives.

Sam brought up the sequence of digital stills and they stepped through them carefully, watching for any changes.

"There!" Jack pointed at the screen and Sam stopped the frames from advancing.

She scrutinized the event horizon but did not see what he was looking at. Seeing her quizzical expression, he gave her a small, knowing look and pointed at the side of the screen – where they were standing in the photo. "There," and he pointed at her hand.

Following his direction, she focused on the picture of her hand on the 'Gate and... then looked up at him in surprise, "Sharp eyes," she commended and then turned back to the screen... where a faint green glow was leaking out from between her hand and the 'Gate.

He shrugged, "You just weren't looking at yourself," he commented knowingly.

And that made her pause... because he was right. She hadn't been watching herself very carefully in the photos. She'd concentrated on the 'Gate, the event horizon... and the images of _him_. Watching for changes in _his_ posture or facial expression. Ruefully, she realized that he'd been doing the same thing... except he had been watching _her_ posture and facial expressions.

Tilting her head in acknowledgement of his observation, she began slowly stepping though the photos again. Next, they saw the event horizon ripple and then there was the characteristic sideways flushing before it settled back down to the rippling vertical pool. Also of note, the glowing white intensity of the event horizon was dampened and it was now a more definite cool pale orange. Checking back at the image of her hand, the faint green glow appeared to have remained constant; neither increasing or decreasing in intensity.

And then a few frames later, the event horizon wavered, faded and then re-established with its more familiar orange-tinted white glow. But that only lasted a few seconds and then it too faded, the 'Gate powered down and the two of them crumpled to the ground.

Sitting back, they both pondered the data and their experiences.

"Well," she broke the silence, "I would say that we definitely established a connection to another Stargate... to which 'Gate?... on which planet?... I can't even guess..."

He nodded his agreement, "And now we know that it takes more out of you to do it," he assessed critically.

"At least it doesn't work completely like the Sentinel," she stated and then clarified. "We are operating it by a combination of man and machine, but it doesn't require the complete assimilation of the 'human component'."

"It's a damn good thing too," he stated warningly and then added, "You're not the only one willing to follow someone into the afterlife to kick their ass," and he raised both eyebrows to punctuate his sentence.

She blushed and looked back down at the screen. "I think we should set up one of the laptops to broadcast a continuous signal during our next session. I could use one of the SGC encryption codes and we could send a repeating, coded message that would include the designation of this planet, our names and a short sentence stating that the DHD here doesn't work."

He thought that through and nodded, "If anyone else receives the signal, they won't know who we are unless they can decode the signal. It's a calculated risk... we'll only be in danger if they decode the signal or have the equivalent of 'star-six-nine' and want to dial an incoming wormhole to us after our 'Gate shuts down."

She nodded silently. They both knew that if anyone dialed in to this 'Gate immediately after they'd disconnected, then the two SGC officers would be completely vulnerable. Jack might be able to regain his senses before the visitors figured out that the two Tauri were over by the side of the 'Gate, but Sam wouldn't be much help at all, if today's experience was anything to go by.

"What are the odds that we're going to be able to connect with a 'Gate on a world where there are SGC personnel around who will recognize our type of transmission?" he ventured.

She shrugged and then sighed, "Very small," she admitted, "But I don't see any other options."

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	54. Control

- - -

"_What are the odds that we're going to be able to connect with a 'Gate on a world where there are SGC personnel around who will recognize our type of transmission?" he ventured._

_She shrugged and then sighed, "Very small," she admitted, "But I don't see any other options."_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 54: CONTROL**

- - -

Jack again insisted on three days off from experiments with the 'Gate. After collapsing on the ground exhausted at the end of their last session, Sam did not even try to argue with him.

Sam spent the first day off working on her notes and extrapolating possible scientific theories to explain and describe what they were experiencing. Jack busied himself with camp chores and the plans for their more permanent shelter. As usual, he insisted that she put the laptop away for the afternoon... and then she fell asleep in the sun for a few hours.

He found himself watching her sleep.   
As he'd done for so many of their hours on this planet.

He considered where they might be in a month or two. They might have figured out how to work the 'Gate... and they might be back at the SGC. Or... they might not figure out how to control the 'Gate connection... and they might still be here.

If they were still here, then they needed to make progress on their long-term shelter - the cabin that they were planning and beginning to assemble the materials for.

If they managed to get back to Earth... then the cabin would not be necessary.

If they managed to get back to Earth... he would lose his opportunities to watch her sleep like this. Unguarded. And with no one else around for him to worry about. No one reminding them of the regs.

If they managed to get back to Earth... then what?   
Would they revert to a relationship of just coworkers?   
And he felt something bubble disagreeably in his chest at that idea.

Would they be coworkers _and_ friends?   
Retaining the friendship that they had worked so hard to engender here?

His eyes traveled over her face as she slept. His mind drifted back to the 'Gate sessions, and he remembered that feeling of warmth that was uniquely her.

He loved to make her smile.   
He loved to see her happy, or excited, or curious, or thoughtful.   
She was special in a way he couldn't define. She warmed his heart.   
They were connected... in a way that he couldn't define, but could only feel.

He wasn't sure of _her_ feelings however.   
And therein lay one of the problems.   
Military regulations being, of course, another.

The regs could be dealt with. There were options.   
Her feelings, however, he could not dictate.   
He could only discover.   
He knew that she felt deeply for him, but did she love him?   
True, romantic love?

And, then of course, there was 'The Other Issue'.   
The one that he hadn't told her about.   
Yet.   
And he was going to have to.   
Before they figured out how to get back.

He watched her sleep. And for now, he put off the major life-changing turmoils... and just allowed himself to enjoy watching her sleep.

..._and I watched an angel as she was sleeping   
_..._and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter _

..._Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about   
_..._what'd you do with it? what did you do with it?_

..._and I watched an alien rabbit waddle-hopping   
_..._and I watched an angel as she was sleeping_

..._and I watched an angel as she was sleeping_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the second day off, the weather was slightly warmer than it had been for weeks and they decided to declare an extensive laundry day, complete with the airing and/or washing of all bedding materials. Once the bedding was out, they went a bit further and removed everything that had accumulated in the tent. Next, they disassembled the tent poles and stakes and turned the tent inside out and hung it from a clothesline so that it could air out with everything else.

Sam was careful to make sure that she ate, slept and rested. Ensuring that Jack would not be able to postpone the next set of 'Gate experiments. Jack watched her knowingly but, as before, could not complain.

They spent the third day fishing and hunting, as well as foraging for fresh fruits and vegetables.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They each checked and double-checked their preparations. The camera was set and ready. The laptop was broadcasting their repeating, encrypted signal through one of their hand-held radios. They had laid out one of the sleeping bags and then piled on some clothing and other soft materials to soften their landing if they fell to the ground again as they had the previous time.

As they finished their preparations, Sam ran down the dates and numbers in her head.   
Day 32; 74th DOP _(86.3ED)_; WK 13   
- This was their thirteenth week on the planet.   
- This was their 74th day on the planet... and that was in local days.   
...back on Earth 86 days would have passed.   
- This was the 32nd day since she'd first touched the hourglass etching on this alien Stargate.

It wasn't scientific, but she _felt_ that they were getting close to figuring out how to work this 'Gate connection. At the very least, she had a feeling that they were going to make more discoveries today. She was a little excited... ok, a lot excited... and couldn't keep a continuous small smile off of her face. Jack had also been smiling most of the morning, but she was pretty sure that he wasn't as excited about the possible discoveries to be made as much as he was smiling _at her_ excitement.

"OK, let's light this doohickey up," he broke into her reverie affectionately.

"Multi-story, interdimensional doohickey," she revised with a grin.

"I stand corrected," and he gave a small mock bow, "Let's light up the Big-Honkin' Doohickey," with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and got into position.

He looked up from setting his watch, "I'll wash all of the dishes and do all of the laundry for a week if you can bring in the latest Simpsons episode," he offered with a grin.

She rolled her eyes, but then retorted, "It's not all me in there you know. If you see a Simpsons episode flying around in there...feel free...," she invited with a matching grin.

He tilted his head in acknowledgement and then turned the camera on. Stepping back, he intoned, "Three, two, one, mark," and he started his watch as she laid her hand on the etching and closed her eyes.

- - -

The image of the wormhole and the two planes coalesced quickly. When he joined her, they were able to slow and dampen the movement of the two rippling planes. The white ribbon representing the wormhole seemed to be waiting patiently and wasn't as energetic or randomly mobile as it had been during previous sessions.

With control over the rippling planes came control over the window of stars in the distance. The view no longer spun and slid out of control. Now they were able to slow the movement down and pan across the configuration of stars.

Both of them concentrated on recognizing any configurations or arrangements of the stars. Sam's focus lasted longer than Jack's however, and he found himself distracted by the warm feeling of her presence in his mind.

She was slowly rotating the view to see this patch of stars from all angles. She took comfort in that constant low-grade fizzing that she knew was his presence.

And then the view slid over a stream of light blue and she focused on it.

She pulled their view out and out and out, until they could see one of the ends.   
Next, she started zooming in on that location.   
Magnifying their effective view as they zeroed in on the blue wormhole's end.

'Ready?' he felt her question and he sent her an affirmative.   
Just as before, she was curious and intent while he was more cautious and wary.

The light blue ribbon winked out and they directed their glowing white ribbon directly at their newly found destination. The white thread arched downward determinedly and then latched onto the alien Stargate that they could not see.

They both relaxed as their glowing white ribbon vaulted gracefully between the two smoothly arching planes. And as they watched, the bright white shifted to a more pale orange cast.

Unable to accurately measure or experience time while connected to the 'Gate, they counted to twenty and then concentrated on disconnecting the wormhole.

And it did so obediently. Disconnecting and then beginning to wander aimlessly as it reverted to the brilliant white that they were used to.

The two planes also began to ripple gently and the view of stars began to slide and slip.

He could feel her fatigue.   
She felt his concern.   
He felt her try and reassure him that she was ok.   
He asked if she could try ending this session with the 'Gate.   
She reluctantly agreed.

They both concentrated... and the images of the ribbon and planes faded and then disappeared.

- - -

She crumpled into his arms as they fell to the ground. He rapidly regained his 'normal' senses and quickly looked around. The 'Gate and everything around them looked just as it had before their session had begun. Quickly but gently laying her beside him, he brought his gun around and carefully surveyed the area around the 'Gate. Looking for anything... or anyone... who might have come through the 'Gate.

Sam had stated that it was unlikely that anything would be able to come _to_ their planet through their wormhole, as it should be an outgoing wormhole... from their planet to whatever destination they found.

Jack however, wasn't willing to take any chances. His years in Special Ops had taught him that a little caution rarely _caused_ problems... and usually prevented them.

Seeing nothing moving, and nothing out of the ordinary, he turned his attention back to Sam. Just like the last time, she was laying on her side, slightly curled up and with her eyes closed. Placing his hand on her upper arm, "Are you with me?" he asked and watched her carefully.

"Oh yeah," she sent back softly but without opening her eyes.

Realizing that she wasn't going to add to that comment in the very near future, he prompted, "How do you feel?"

"Just a good case of vertigo and fatigue," she replied steadily as she concentrated on slow and even breathing.

"How does it compare to last time?" he asked.

"About the same...," and then she paused while she opened her eyes just a little and squinted up at him, "Maybe a little better," she added and gave him a small reassuring smile.

He nodded and continued watching her closely.

"Why don't you go and take a look around...," she suggested. "I'll be right here when you get back," and she gave him a tired smile.

He stared at her for another few moments and then reluctantly agreed, "I'll be back in 10 or 15 minutes," and he placed a radio by her hand. "If I find anything, I'll call."

"Got it," she replied and then relaxed and closed her eyes again as he moved off.

- - - -

Fifteen minutes later, Jack returned to find that Sam was sitting up and leaning against the 'Gate again. "How're you doing?" he asked.

"Better," she answered honestly and then admitted, "And I'm chomping at the bit to see if the digital photos recorded anything new."

And few things could have proven to him that she was feeling better... but that was one of them. He gave her a knowing grin, "One camera and one laptop, at your command, M'Lady," and he stepped off with a grandiose bow which earned him one of those precious smiles and some low giggles.

Quickly retrieving the equipment, he brought them back and set them by her side. While she began prepping the camera for the download, he unpacked the medkit.

"What's that for?" she asked, wondering if he was hurt and she hadn't noticed.

"Just want to get a little data," he replied as he slipped the thermometer in her mouth.

"Jacghh-," her protest lost a bit of its intended indignation as she spoke inelegantly around the thermometer.

"Hey," he countered, "You are the scientist – you can't argue with the collection of data. This might be useful," he justified as he proceeded to take her pulse while they waited for the thermometer to beep.

Sighing, she relented. He _was_ right. Although they should be taking his pulse and temperature as well, and from the look in her eyes, he knew what would be happening as soon as he was done with her. Giving her a semi-apologetic smile and shrug, he wrote down her pulse and then waited for the thermometer to signal that it was done.

When it did, however, she beat him to it and he had to wait as she inspected the results. When she was done she silently handed it to him and he took a look. 98.9 degrees. Well within the normal range.

As he turned to jot the number down, she reclaimed the small instrument and quickly sterilized it. Silently she held the thermometer out for him and he obediently slipped it into his mouth while she took his pulse. His pulse, like hers, was in the low 70s and his temperature was 98.7 degrees. He dutifully recorded all of the numbers and then glanced back up to find her watching him.

"I just thought we should... we don't know how any of this works... or the effects on ...us...," and he shrugged defiantly.

"It was a good idea," she sent back quietly, gave him a warm smile and then turned her attention back to the laptop and camera.

- - - - -

The digital photos showed the same sequence of events that they had seen the time before. The orange-white event horizon rippled and then flushed outwards and then settled down to a more normal-looking event horizon, albeit with a pale orange color. A soft green glow leaked out around the edges of Sam's palm where it was in contact with the stone etching.

Nothing disturbed or came through their wormhole.

One new piece of data that they got was how long the pale orange event horizon lasted. Thirty-two seconds. They had counted to twenty and the actual time was half again as much in seconds. Not surprising when each session felt shorter than the actual seven and a half minutes.

So they had held the wormhole open for a little over thirty seconds. Long enough for their message to repeat 2 and half times. If anyone was listening on the other end.

"I think we should count to forty next time... keep the wormhole open for a full minute," Sam suggested.

He considered the pros and cons. The biggest plus was that their message would cycle through five iterations, and would therefore almost certainly be received if there were any SGC personnel within the vicinity of the 'Gate. The downside was that it would probably take more out of Sam.

He studied her carefully, "Allright, I'll agree to that, _if_ you'll agree that we shut it down before that if I feel it's necessary," he proposed.

"Feel it's necessary?" the scientist in her couldn't help asking for clarification.

"I could feel your fatigue after we disconnected the other end of the wormhole," he returned.

She grudgingly nodded her agreement and then stated, "Overall, I'd say that was a pretty good session. We controlled the viewing area between the two planes, we connected to another Stargate and we controlled the end of the session," and she gave him a small triumphant grin.

"We're getting closer to figuring it out," he agreed with a small answering smile.

"Or at least controlling it," she modified the wording and then she sighed, "I have a feeling we won't figure out how it all works for several lifetimes."

- - - -

She convinced him that they should make another attempt with the 'Gate that afternoon. She'd actually used the normal pulse and temperature readings that he'd taken to bolster her case. He groaned in defeat, but made her agree to a hearty lunch followed by a two hour resting period before they started the next session. Therein ensued some negotiations as to what activities could and could not be done during said resting period. They finally compromised on playing cards.

- - - - - - - -

_1330_

Everything was reset and ready for their next attempt.

Jack gave her a final visual once over. She stood silently, albeit a little impatiently, as she bounced lightly on her toes. And that was the little reassurance that he needed. She didn't appear sluggish or lethargic. No... her small smile of anticipation had returned as she couldn't wait to find out what they would discover next.

Smiling with bemusement, he stepped over and started the camera and then stepped back and counted off the familiar, "Three, two, one, mark," and set his watch and then watched her lay her hand on the 'Gate and close her eyes.

The 'Gate lit up as usual, the inner ring began slowly spinning... and he noticed that it was not as sluggish as it had been the first few times. The glowing orange-white event horizon snapped into place.

He watched her as she stood there silently, her mind in a realm not of this world.

His eyes scanned the area around the 'Gate one last, thorough time.   
He checked his watch... coming up on one minute... and he placed his hand on her arm.

- - - - -

The familiar electric-fizzing swiftly passed and the images of the white ribbon and two planes sharpened quickly. He immediately noticed that the two planes were already placid and that the glowing white thread was hanging sedately.

He felt the familiar warmth of her presence – _and_ he felt her satisfaction at having tamed the planes and wormhole on her own.

'Nice', he sent sincerely and felt her shy acceptance of his praise.

They turned their attention to the stars in the area between the two planes and proceeded to slowly rotate and scan the view while looking for recognizable star configurations.

And then they scanned across another light blue ribbon. Sam quickly panned outwards, far outwards... and then they could see both ends of the new wormhole.

'Which side?' she asked him and he knew that they couldn't determine which end would yield better results for them. He mentally flipped a coin and she felt his choice.

Without further discussion, she began quickly zooming in on that end of the light blue ribbon. And then they waited. And waited. Whoever was using the wormhole was holding it open for awhile. Sam scanned the immediate area of stars, trying to recognize any of the patterns or constellations.

Unable to measure time with any accuracy, they waited.

And then finally, the light blue ribbon faded and disappeared.

Quickly they pulled the end of their wormhole over and connected to the Stargate that they knew was there even though they couldn't see it.

They both immediately began counting and at 40, they focused on the disconnection. Obediently, their pale orange ribbon disconnected and then brightened back to its more familiar glowing white.

Jack then focused on Sam. Again, he could feel her fatigue, but he also felt her resistance to ending the session. She wanted to continue. He cautiously agreed.

They began scanning the field of stars again and almost immediately another light blue ribbon slid into view. Quickly Sam zoomed their field of view out until they could see the ends, she let Jack pick one and then quickly zoomed in on his choice.

Within what seemed like only seconds, this second light blue ribbon blinked out and they confidently connected their white glowing wormhole to the unseen 'Gate. The brilliant white settled down to a sedate pale orange as they again counted to 40.

Once done, they again disconnected and Jack once more turned his attention to her. She couldn't hide her weariness, but it was bolstered by their success with two different wormholes and their ability to control this environment.

She agreed that they could end the session now and the images quickly faded to be replaced by that disorientation of returning their senses to the physical world on the planet.

Lying on the ground beside her, he wrapped an arm around her as his eyes focused on the familiar objects in and around the 'Gate. "You ok?" he asked.

She gave him a low groan that he was fairly sure that she meant to be reassuring. He pushed himself up and scanned their surroundings more carefully. Everything looked exactly as it had before they started their session. He pulled himself up onto his knees and looked around again. Nothing moved. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

He reached down and felt for her pulse. Counting, he quickly calculated her pulse as in the low 80s. Just a little high. And she was again concentrating on maintaining slow and even breaths. Giving her another quick glance, he scooted the radio over near her hand, "You stay here. I'm going to make a quick sweep. Be back in 10 or 15."

"Right. Staying here," she agreed without opening her eyes and with the edges of her mouth turning up just a smidge.

He gave her arm one final squeeze and then moved off to check the area.

- - - - - -

_TBC_

- - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - 

Author's Notes: Thanks so much to all who have submitted reviews!

And as in Chapter 43 (Mortality), the lyrics quoted earlier are after the song 'Live Like You Were Dying', by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols. If you'd like to hear the song sung by Tim McGraw, go to www**_dot_**smashitsusa**_dot_**com/index.cfm?PageAudio&SubPagealbumdetails&AlbumID634 (and replace the **_dot_**s with periods)

And, I'd like to thank Karen Swiatek for her review where she suggested that Sam and Jack should begin constructing a more permanent shelter of some sort. :)

- - -


	55. Ranking

- - -

"_You stay here. I'm going to make a quick sweep. Be back in 10 or 15."_

"_Right. Staying here," she agreed without opening her eyes and with the edges of her mouth turning up just a smidge._

_He gave her arm one final squeeze and then moved off to check the area._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 55: RANKING**

- - -

They had agreed to two days off before resuming their experiments with the 'Gate.

Jack scanned over Sam's summary notes of their 'Gate experiments. The acronyms and shorthand notations made his head hurt..., but one thing definitely stood out. They were making clear and substantial progress.

---------------------------------------------

**Day 1;** 43rd Day On Planet (DOP), _(50th EarthDayOnPlanet ED)_, week (WK) 8   
- - - First tested hourglass etching. Gate powered-up (GPU) when I touched it   
- - - Inner ring moving (IRM) Orange-white event horizon (OWEH)

**Days 2-10;** through the end of WK 9 - - - resting

**Day 11;** 53th DOP _(61ED)_; beginning of WK 10; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Session 1 for roughly 30 sec; Sess. 2 for 2 min.; Sess 3 for 3 min; Sess. 4 for 4 min.

**Days 12-15;** 54-57 DOP, _(62-66ED)_; WK 10 - - - resting; Jack heals my bruises

**Day 16; **58th DOP _(67ED)_; WK 10; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1 for 5 min; Sess. 2 for 5 min; Sess. 3 for 6 min; Sess. 4 for 6 min.

**Day 17;** 59th DOP _(68.8ED)_, WK 10 - - - camp chores and recuperating (CCR)

**Day 18;** 60st DOP _(70ED)_, end of WK 10; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1 for 6 min; Sess. 2 for 6 min; Sess. 3 for 7 min; Sess. 4 for 7 min 36 sec.- Session 4 ends on its own.

**Day 19-20;** 61nd and 62rd DOP _(71-72ED)_; WK 11 - - - CCR

**Day 21;** 63th DOP _(73ED)_; WK 11; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1-4 for 7 min 36 sec each.   
- - - Determined the time limit for maintaining this type of wormhole.   
- - - 20 percent of 38 minute 'normal' wormhole time limit

**Day 22-23;** 64th and 65th DOP _(74.7-75.8ED)_; WK 11 - - - CCR

**Day 24;** 66th DOP _(77ED)_; end of WK 11; GPU, IRM, OWEH   
- - - Sess. 1 and 2 for 7 min 36 sec each.   
- - - Sess 3 – at end of session, Jack touched me... and I think we controlled the wormhole for a second before the session ended.

**Day 25-27;** 67, 68 and 69th DOP _(78-80ED)_; WK 12   
- - - CCR, planning and assembling materials for more permanent shelter

**Day 28;** 70th DOP _(81.7ED)_; WK 12; GPU, IRM,   
- - - Sess. 1; we could feel each other's minds; OWEH   
- - - Sess. 2; light blue ribbon; other wormhole; we connected!;   
Pale-orange event horizon (POEH);   
pale green glow leaking out between my hand and the 'Gate

**Days 29-31;** 71, 72 and 73nd DOP _(82.8-85ED)_; WK 12/13   
- - - CCR, planning and assembling materials for more permanent shelter

**Day 32;** 74th DOP _(86.3ED)_; WK 13; GPU, IRM, OWEH/POEH   
--- Broadcasting 10-sec Encrypted Message (BEM10sec)   
--- Sess 1; 1 connection; we counted to 20... this was 32 seconds as recorded by the time-lapse sequence of the digital camera   
--- Sess 2; 2 connections; our control over the moving planes and wormhole is increasing; we held each for a count of 40 (which was 65 seconds as recorded by the digital camera)

**Days 33-34;** 75th and 76th DOP _(87.5-88.7)_; WK 13   
- - - CCR, planning and assembling materials for more permanent shelter

**Day 35;** 77th DOP _(89.8ED)_; WK 13;   
- - -

---------------------------------------------

"Hi," she announced her arrival and looked over his shoulder at the laptop screen. Raising her eyebrows a bit, she asked "Bored?" with a small, knowing smile.

"Just checking the timeline," he replied and then glanced back at her. "We've actually come pretty far in just 33 days of testing."

She nodded thoughtfully and then reminded him, "That's 33 of our 28-hour days... which would actually be 38 and a half Earth days," and then added, "But it's 5 and a half weeks either way," referring to their 6-day week and Earth's 7-day week.

"So... we've come a long ways in just five and a half weeks," he restated with a slightly exaggerated patience that was tempered with a small smile of friendly amusement.

She blushed lightly at his unspoken yet obvious comment on her 'technobabble nitpicking', "Yes," she acknowledged.

"We could connect with Earth or one of our allies any time, right?" he asked.

She nodded again and added a small shrug, "It's possible, but I don't think it's probable until we can recognize some star configurations. Once we do that, I think we'll be able to zero right in on Earth."

"So it's just a matter of time...days... weeks... months...?" he queried.

She shrugged her eyebrows, "No way to say... it could take months or years... or we might get lucky on our next attempt. I can't say one way or the other," she admitted.

He studied her silently for a few moments and she looked back curiously. Before she could ask, however, he finally found his voice, "Sam, we need to talk before we go back," and his tone was soft and serious.

Her brow furrowed and she tilted her head quizzically. What was he referring to? One topic in particular leapt to mind..."Sam?"

And his voice pulled her back from her thoughts, "Sorry... I was just thinking," and before he could comment on that, she continued with trepidation, "Talk about what?"

He glanced down at the laptop and then over at their shelter, "How about we pack a few things and go sit by the river and fish while we talk?"

Her curiosity deepened but she shrugged and acquiesced, "OK, just give me ten minutes to put a few things away."

He nodded and then turned back to her laptop, closing the open files and then shutting the machine down. Next, he collected their fishing gear and packed some water and snacks in a rucksack.

- - - -

The water rippled gently downstream. A very different river compared to when it had been full of recent storm waters. The rippling water reflected the trees, brush and patches of cloud-studded sky. His reverie rambled from their first days sitting along the river... to his tumultuous swim... to the placid waters before them today. So much had happened over their three months on this planet.

"Jack?" she asked quietly, but reminding him that he had asked her here. To talk. And now he was not. Talking.

He glanced over at her and she gave him a small smile of curiosity. He sent his gaze back to the river and then asked, "What would you expect to have happen... if... say... you were permanently injured on a mission... say... paralyzed from the waist down, like I could have been from that tumble downriver?"

She stared back at him for a moment with a concerned look, as she tried to figure out where he was leading the conversation. Unable to fathom his purposes yet, she returned to his question and then shrugged, "Well, I guess I would expect that the Air Force would give me a medical discharge... and then I'd have to see what I wanted to do after that. Maybe work for the Air Force as a consultant...if they wanted me as a wheelchair-bound civilian."

He nodded, "That's what most people would expect," he agreed and her brows furrowed again as she knew that she hadn't figured out yet what his purpose was with his question.

"Most people?" she questioned his phrasing and he nodded.

"And you're not most people," he elaborated and then seeing the look of bewilderment on her face, he continued, "Sam, a few days before the visit to Sandara, I had a meeting with General Hammond," and she didn't interrupt, but just waited for him to start making sense. "I'm pretty sure that Hammond figured that I'd tell you...," and he took a breath, aware that he wasn't clearing things up for her, "Sam, there is apparently... this... 'Ranking'... where personnel are ranked according to their... usefulness," and her eyebrows shot up again at that, but she didn't say anything.

"Well, to make a long story short, most folks in the military fall into the 30's, 40's and 50's... with anything below a 30 indicating someone undesirable, someone who should be given all reasonable attempts for a discharge... or at the very least, not re-enlisted. The 30's are considered fairly Average Joe's, the 40's are soldiers who would be considered valuable if they were to reenlist voluntarily and the 50's are those who are actively pursued for reenlistment and career military track," and he paused to see if he was making sense. She looked back at him guardedly, still trying to figure out his true purpose for this conversation. "Guess what your ranking is," he directed.

She looked at him consideringly. Evaluating everything he'd said... and then slowly shook her head and shrugged without answering.

"Officially it's a 67," he supplied and then waited expectantly.

She narrowed her eyes a little at his wording but continued to wait silently.

He watched her carefully, "It means that if you were to be paralyzed or some such, the military would still want you... a lot."

"Ohhkayy," she drew it out as she tried to fathom his intensity. "So, they _would_ hire me as a civilian consultant," and she shrugged.

"No," he returned with a shake of his head.

"No?" she echoed back as a question.

"No," he reiterated and then added, "Sam, they wouldn't give you a medical discharge, they'd keep you in the service," he explained.

"That would be... highly irregular," she stated as she thought it over.

"Yes, but they would maintain control," he spelled it out and watched the realization sink in for her.

"Control," she echoed.

"As with Podunk, Illinois," he pointed out.

"Since that long ago?" she spoke her disbelief aloud.

He snorted softly, "Sam, I don't know what exactly your ranking was ten or fifteen years ago, but it was at least in the 50s... and since the Stargate project, it's only gone up."

Her eyes shifted to the river and then the trees and then to some rocks and then back to the river as her mind sifted through the implications. "My experiences with Jolinar... my -unreliable- ability to use the healing device... and a Goa'uld hand device on occasion... things like that...," and her voice trailed off as she thought through some of the experiences of the past 8 years.

"Exactly," he confirmed.

"So...," as her thoughts drifted through the possible ramifications.

"So, even if you _wanted _to leave the Air Force...," and here his voice trailed off suggestively.

She looked at him with surprise, "Even if I wanted to leave the Air Force?" she echoed him again.

"You would be persuaded with every possible enticement to stay," he elaborated just a little more.

"Ohhkaay...," she drew the word out as she thought over the ramifications of his statement and then shrugged again. "I have to admit that I'm not seeing a downside here, but I'm getting the feeling that I'm missing something," she admitted.

He nodded and gave her a small rueful grin, "Well, it seems that a section of the old rogue NID had their own ranking system," he explained and watched as both of her eyebrows climbed her forehead again. "On their scale, you were a 90-X," he then added and watched for her reaction.

"And a 90-X means...?" she prompted.

"If you showed any evidence that you were not agreeable to staying in the service...or at least working for the military in some capacity...," and he watched her face as his inferences sunk in.

"Then what?" she asked in a flat tone.

"You'd be incarcerated," he said heavily.

"What?!" she nearly shouted in disbelief.

Grimacing, he elaborated, "As I understand it you would be 'housed' in some sort of facility where they could direct your research, but you would not be allowed a normal life..."

"Prison?!" she stated with even more incredulity.

"Basically, although I think they called it something else, something more 'Politically Correct'," and his tone fully revealed his feelings on the matter.

"How could they _make_ me work on anything if they locked me away?" she asked before thinking that through to its ugly conclusion.

"Well, I have a feeling that they had contingencies for what they would do if you weren't willing to cooperate," and then he waited for that to sink in.

And he watched the revulsion on her face as she understood the implications. "Lab rat," she summarized succinctly and he could hear the anger in her voice.

"Afraid so," he admitted and then sighed. "I'm sorry, Sam," he added sincerely.

She just looked at him, still trying to assimilate what he'd told her. He let her ponder the ramifications in silence.

"And this is all past tense?" she questioned.

"So Hammond was told," he returned and shrugged, "They believe that they shut down that end of the NID's operations."

She stared at him for a few more moments before asking, "And what about you?"

"What about me?" he returned.

"You've had the knowledge of the Ancients downloaded into your brain twice, you've activated and controlled the technology of the ancients, you've had at least two symbiotes...," she ran through some of his 'highlights'. "So... what is -or was- your ranking?" she asked.

Sighing, he focused back on the rippling water sliding by, "90-Z," he returned heavily.

"And what does the difference mean?" she asked astutely.

"It's mostly the same... even if I was technically eligible for a medical discharge, they'd keep me on if at all possible... and if I didn't want to work for the government anymore, in any capacity...," and his voice trailed off.

"Lab rat," she supplied and he nodded with a grimace.

"Lab rat," he echoed.

"Still, that doesn't explain the difference - what does the Z signify?" she pursued.

He studied her face for a moment and then admitted, "Apparently they thought that I was more of a risk."

"A risk... for...?" she questioned.

"More likely to be significantly and demonstrably unhappy with the conditions of my continued enforced service," he spoke around the point with pseudo-bureaucratic lingo.

"And what would they...?" And then a horrified look crossed her face as a hideous thought occurred to her. She closed her eyes and then spoke softly, "Great, so this was what we had to look forward to? Forced labor or life as lab rats... or they just...what?... _put you down like a rabid dog?_"

"Yeah, I wasn't very happy with the options when George was explaining them to me, either," he muttered.

Sam sighed and looked at the ground, "What about Daniel and Teal'c?"

"Teal'c was apparently considered more of a threat than an asset. I think that his inscrutable 'stone face' threw them off... I think they were actually scared of him and would rather that he simply moved offworld when he was done serving with SG-1," Jack opined.

"And Daniel?" Sam asked softly.

"Daniel is almost just the opposite," and Jack smiled. "I think that his non-aggressive and general geeky image had them believing that he wasn't much of a threat. Besides, I think that they figured that he'd keep working on his research for as long as he could anyway... They'd probably just try to make sure that he always had the funding he needed for the projects that they were the most interested in," and then Jack took a breath, "But if Danny-boy ever gave them any cause for worry, I think they would have just packed him off to some sort of 'secure research facility' somewhere."

"When Hoskins and Jennings kidnapped him, we saw a good example of what they'll do to get him to work on what they want," Sam pointed out, referring to the events with the ex-NID agents.

He nodded silently and the two of them watched the reflections on the river.

Glancing at her, he steeled himself for the next part of his story, "Sam, that's not all I wanted to tell you," he started.

"There's more?" and she didn't sound excited at that idea.

He smiled apologetically, ""When Hammond told me all of this... I was angry... I know that we've uncovered and/or destroyed much of what the NID and/or the Trust had set-up... but they are like ugly little rats... and I... just felt so frustrated... I just wanted to... get away... to leave the whole dirty lot of them behind... I wanted to take you and Daniel and Teal'c and Cassie and just 'Gate somewhere and not come back," and here he sighed and grimaced a bit. "And I have to admit that... when I was stuck in meetings for hours on end... I mentally thought about... just what... logistical steps that it would require to... go somewhere... like this... and to get the needed supplies... and to do it so that no one would be able to track or follow," he admitted and then waited for her reaction.

She met his eyes and then her gaze shifted down and the silence between them stretched longer, underscoring the fact that Daniel, Teal'c and Cassie were _not_ here... and he'd been on Sandara with Daniel and Teal'c.

"And I was tired of all of the paperwork...and red tape... and politics... of being 'the man'... and I was tired of having to stay back and watch while I sent teams offworld and into who-knows-what... and I was tired of having to play politics with desk-bound armchair officers and arrogant politicians...," he paused for a moment but then continued, "And then, when I got the chance to go off-world with SG-1, my old team... the team wasn't complete," and he met her eyes almost accusingly, "You were missing... and... I know that it wasn't your choice," he forestalled her protestations. "It just felt like... the way that things have developed over the past couple of years... it just felt like we were... being driven by circumstances down certain paths...like we were being controlled by our sense of duty and outside factors... and like we were being used," and he looked away into the distance.

"So I had all of that rattling around in my head before we left for Sandara...and I didn't have any chances to talk to any of you about it," and he looked over and met her eyes again, wondering just how much more he should say. And then he heard the words of that song, egging him on...

..._and he said someday I hope you get the chance   
_..._to live like you were dying._

She was watching him intently and he plunged forward, knowing that there may never be a better opportunity to say these words, "The Sandaran Vandi... let me do some things that I couldn't normally do... ignore the regs... ignore the boundaries between the two of us...," and then he closed his eyes for a few seconds and then looked at the ground as those lyrics continued to echo in his mind.

..._Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about   
_..._what'd you do with it? what did you do with it? _

As cliche as it was, it was 'now or never', and he took another deep breath, "Sam, I have had these feelings for you... over the years... and... and I just haven't known what to do...," he glanced over to see her watching him intently, "We're colleagues... I'm your CO... there are regulations..."

"And if there weren't any regulations in the way?" and she said it so softly that he almost thought he imagined it.

..._and he said someday I hope you get the chance   
_..._to live like you were dying._

"Then I would have probably asked you out on a date years ago," and he struggled to keep his voice steady, but then the next words came more easily, "...and I would have hoped that you wouldn't laugh in my face because of the age difference... or because you just couldn't imagine dating a grizzled old soldier."

She stared at him without moving. Her face not revealing her thoughts. "I wouldn't have laughed," she finally returned softly.

Their eyes met and held, each of them searching the other's eyes for information.   
Each wondering what should be said next.

"So... if and when we get back to Earth... what then?" she asked without moving her eyes from his.

"We've been gone three months... they will have assigned a new CO for the SGC," and he didn't move his eyes from hers as he voiced what they both knew. "So..., I'll either have a different position of some sort... or I'll retire...maybe do that civilian consulting gig... but either way... regs shouldn't be an issue anymore... and I should have the chance to ask a certain Lt. Colonel out for that date..."

A slow blush and smile stole onto her face, but without breaking his gaze, she replied, "I guess that's just more incentive to get that 'Gate connection working..."

And he couldn't hide the answering fire in his eyes.

..._and he said someday I hope you get the chance   
_..._to live like you were dying._

..._Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about   
_..._what'd you do with it? what did you do with it? _

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - -

Author's Notes: As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts   
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)   
_Episode 807, 'Affinity', transcript by Carrie Sullivan   
__Episode 808, 'Covenant', transcript by Carrie Sullivan_

And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website

And as in previous chapters, the lyrics quoted earlier are after the song 'Live Like You Were Dying', by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols. If you'd like to hear the song sung by Tim McGraw, go to www**_dot_**smashitsusa**_dot_**com/index.cfm?PageAudio&SubPagealbumdetails&AlbumID634 (and replace the **_dot_**s with periods)

- - -


	56. Slipping

"_So…, I'll either have a different position of some sort… or I'll retire…maybe do that civilian consulting gig… but either way… regs shouldn't be an issue anymore… and I should have the chance to ask a certain Lt. Colonel out for that date…"_

_A slow blush and smile stole onto her face, but without breaking his gaze, she replied, "I guess that's just more incentive to get that 'Gate connection working…"_

_And he couldn't hide the answering fire in his eyes._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 56: SLIPPING**

- - -

Day 35; 77th DOP_ (89.8ED)_; WK 13

During the first session of the morning, they made two connections and held each of the wormholes connected for just over a minute. Sam was tired, but not enough for Jack to stall their next attempt.

The second session started 'normally', with Sam placing her hand on the now-so-familiar hourglass etching and closing her eyes. The 'Gate powered up and the inner ring moved slowly, although smoothly now, and not with the uncertain pace of 3-4 weeks ago.

The images of the wormhole and the two planes appeared quickly and she easily held them still and calm while awaiting Jack's arrival.

Jack watched the familiar sequence carefully, watching both her and the 'Gate and his stopwatch. When his chronometer read 40 seconds, he gently lay his hand on her forearm and let the familiar sensations of electrical-fizzing followed by a pleasant warmth wash over him.

The two planes and the wormhole appeared before his eyes and he scanned the configuration while he got his bearings. He could feel her waiting patiently. Next he scanned the view of stars in the distance between the two planes. As usual, he didn't recognize any familiar constellations. Finally, he let her know that he was ready and he felt her answering assent.

Slowly she pulled back from their current view.  
Pulling the two planes apart.  
Widening their field of view.  
Searching for familiar constellations and/or an operating wormhole connection.

Some time passed and they found nothing new.  
Time was difficult to measure here.  
They scanned in companionable silence for recognizable star configurations.  
Nothing… and no new wormhole connections appeared.

Neither of them grew discouraged yet. As difficult as time was to perceive in this realm, they both knew that their session would end after only 7 and a half minutes. Not truly enough time to be realistically discouraged if they didn't find anything.

And then their field of view slid sideways and away from their control. He could feel Sam's puzzlement as she tried to pull the planes back under control. But the view kept skidding sideways and then the two planes pitched downwards in a vertigo-inducing arch that made both of them pull back as they were swept uncontrollably over the waterfall of iridescent light fibers.

The view between the two planes rotated and twisted as it continued to slide sideways. Jack felt for her reactions and he didn't feel fear or frustration, just pure concentration as she focused on bringing their realm back under their control.

And then everything jerked to a stop.  
They each froze and stared, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

He felt her take the mental equivalent of some deep breaths as they both watched the now quiescent scene.

'You ok?' he asked.

'Fine,' came back with a warm reassurance. 'You?'

'Peachy,' he sent back and hoped she could envision his smirk. And then a feeling like a warm, bubbling chuckle washed over him, and he knew that he'd succeeded.

'What happened?' he asked and he could feel her mental shrug as she answered.

'I don't know.'

They spent a few more moments watching the two quiet planes, the silent wormhole and the slowly drifting view of the distant stars.

'Ready to try again?' she asked.

'Tired?' he countered.

'A little,' she admitted, knowing that he could feel her fatigue, 'But I'm fine,' and he felt her send him a challenging grin.

'Alright, we try again,' he acquiesced but then qualified it with, 'But we stop if something like that wild ride happens again.'

He felt her agreement and then she was panning their view out and scanning slowly over the distant stars. They both returned to their inspection of the star configurations while also keeping an eye out for any light blue ribbons of light.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two weeks and a half weeks passed and they fell into a pattern of working with the 'Gate for one day followed by 3 days of resting and working around camp. Their sessions with the 'Gate yielded results that ranged from no wormhole connections to as many as 3 connections in one session. During Session 3 of Day 47, they experienced another loss of control as the two moving planes and the view of stars between them slid and skidded around in a disorienting tandem that caused them both extreme bouts of vertigo.

Their permanent shelter was taking shape as the simple one-room log cabin that they were intending. The floor was complete and they were trimming and notching thin logs for the walls. With just the two of them, they were not attempting to fell large thick trees, and were culling out thinner, younger trees that were lighter and easier for them to manage. Planning to overlay their roof with woven and interleaved branches and fronds from native plants, their goal was a water-proof structure that would shelter them from future rain and/or wind. While their finished cabin would not withstand a hurricane, it should protect them from most other storms.

On the personal front, while they had not vocally pursued their conversation of two weeks ago, they had allowed themselves to show their affections more overtly. They sat next to each other at the campfire. He would hold her not just as they went to sleep each night, but he would also hold her while they were relaxing on the river bank. He'd fish for awhile and then when he'd had enough, or caught enough, he'd sit down next to her and prop himself against the same tree trunk she was dozing against. Then he'd gently pull her over so that her upper body was resting against his chest. And then he'd doze off with his arms wrapped around her loosely.

Today, as he slipped her over and onto his chest, he watched and listened as she mumbled something incoherent and then settled down again.

Smiling, he allowed himself to feel this moment.  
To feel this time and place.  
To be here with her in his arms.

The river rippling by below them.  
The light and shadows playing through the trees and reflecting off the water.

His thoughts mused over their days and weeks on this planet.  
Just the two of them.  
And the pattern and routine of the past few weeks.  
Days of work and days of rest.  
Times of gritty reality and times of dreamlike serenity.  
The dichotomy of building a life here punctuated with the surreal days spent groping with the 'Gate for a way home.

They both knew that they had to find a way off of the planet.  
They needed to find a way home.

And yet, at the same time, they needed to plan for the possibility that they would be here for years… or even longer.

And how would their lives unfold if they returned to Earth?  
Neither of them knew the answers.

He was certain of some things, uncertain of others.  
The depth of affection and feelings that he had for her.  
Of those he was certain.  
And he knew that she had feelings for him.  
But what would they be able to make a reality back on Earth?

Earth. As he held her comforting warmth in his arms, he wondered what his two other teammates would think of the new tenor to the relationship between Sam and himself.

Earth. And, his thoughts drifted to the melee of politics and struggles that were ongoing without them. And he knew that there was a lesson there. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel her in his arms.

Earth. And now his thoughts drifted to wondering about the SGC and who the CO was now. And, as both Sam and Jack had speculated many times, he wondered what Daniel and Teal'c were doing. If they were assigned to different SG teams? …Or if they had a new member or two of SG-1? …Or if they were still searching for the two missing officers?

Jack knew that the SGC could not still be continuing any extensive searches for them as they had been MIA for a little over 15 weeks… almost 4 months. On the other hand, he knew that both Daniel and Teal'c were tenacious and he could envision the two men arguing persuasively for them to be allowed to continue searching even after all other SG teams had been returned to their regular mission schedule.

They were SG-1 after all.

A team of the most unlikely combinations.

A burned-out special ops soldier with a knack for getting the job done, no matter what.

A geeky archeologist with a compassion and understanding of people that was unparalleled.

A military scientist and aviator detoured from the astronaut-track.

A Jaffa who was strong enough to rebel against thousands of years of culture, tradition and religion.

He had to grin at his woefully inadequate synopses. Each of them was so much more… brave, loyal, brilliant, steadfast, competent, trustworthy, valiant, self-sacrificing…And that, he knew, was why they worked together as a team. Because in spite of their disparate backgrounds and personalities, they had the same core values.

They were SG-1. And he knew that even if the Daniel and Teal'c were only allowed to search between regularly assigned missions… he knew that they were still searching.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -

- - -


	57. RGTS?

_He had to grin at his woefully inadequate synopses. Each of them was so much more… brave, loyal, brilliant, steadfast, competent, trustworthy, valiant, self-sacrificing…And that, he knew, was why they worked together as a team. Because in spite of their disparate backgrounds and personalities, they had the same core values._

_They were SG-1. And he knew that even if the Daniel and Teal'c were only allowed to search between regularly assigned missions… he knew that they were still searching._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 57: RGTS?**

- - -

Repetitive Gate Travel Syndrome?

Dr. Brightman winced as she looked at the diagnosis printed on the two medical charts. Working at the SGC was the posting of a lifetime for a military medical doctor. The exposure to new and exciting phenomena on a daily and weekly basis. The medical and intellectual challenges were both stimulating and exhilarating.

But Repetitive Gate Travel Syndrome?

And she sighed again. She had read over all of the recommendations and basic conclusions from the medical doctors who had worked in this facility over the years. No one had any data to support the idea that repeated travel through the Stargate caused any ill affects. And, none of the people that they'd met over the years had even hinted at such a deleterious effect. No Tokra had mentioned anything along these lines… and one would have thought that Jacob Carter, at the very least, would have made a point of letting them know of something like that… seeing as his daughter traveled through the 'Gate so frequently.

RGTS.

One of those ideas that had been proposed years ago, in the early phases of the SGC. But one of those ideas that had seemed to have been disproven as the years passed.

And now she had two possible cases of RGTS.  
Or probable cases, she admitted silently.

Both Dr. Jackson and Teal'c had suffered 3 episodes of difficulty during 'Gate travel over the past seventeen days. They had described sensations similar to those experienced by novice 'Gate travelers. Disorientation, vertigo, nausea, and a general loss of the sense of stability while traversing the wormhole. Once exiting the wormhole, each man had recovered within minutes and the sensations had not returned while walking around on solid ground.

And their symptoms and reactions did not occur with each transit of the wormhole. Of twelve one-way trips, they had only had three 'bad trips'. Twenty-five percent, the doctor calculated idly.

Her biggest objection with confirming a diagnosis of RGTS was that both men had suffered the same effects – on the same trips. The progression of something like RGTS would not explain that!

As a consequence, she and the other medical personnel had sifted through the data and statistics of the planets visited by these two men over the past several weeks. Creating spreadsheets of data such as the distances to the planets visited, the temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure differences between the planets on each end of the wormhole, etc.

And they had found no striking similarities amongst the planets visited when the two men had experienced their difficulties. Nothing seemed to correlate between the three planets any better than with the other planets they had visited.

Shaking her head, she looked at the mission schedule for the two men over the past four months. The two had participated in a 'Gate travel schedule that was 3-4 times the normal rate for SGC members. If anyone was going to show the effects of RGTS, these two were the best candidates.

And earlier today, she'd been on-hand to witness the effects herself as Dr. Jackson and Teal'c had stumbled onto the 'Gateroom ramp with SG-4. Along with her medical assistants, she had hurried to the two men near the top of the ramp. A quick assessment revealed unfocused gazes and a general disorientation along with an unsteadiness indicating problems with balance. Both breathing and pulse were rapid, as if the two men had just finished hard footraces.

But in just the few minutes that she and her assistants were conducting their assessments, she watched the two men regain their balance, slowing their breathing and heart rates as their eyes focused on the people and the room around them. By the time the medical personnel were ready to trundle the men onto gurneys, the two were standing steadily and insisting that they could walk to the infirmary.

While RGTS was new to Dr. Brightman, the macho attitude of military and special forces personnel was _not_ new to her and she simply, but firmly, insisted that the two men quietly lie down and let the medical personnel do their jobs. Both Jackson and Teal'c had initially looked mulish and unmoved by her orders, but then they shared a look and quietly acquiesced.

She and her staff had run every test and scan that they could think of. They'd added this latest planet to their growing database and spreadsheets. Nothing correlated.

Until she got more data, RGTS was all that they had.  
So RGTS it was, until it could be called something else.

She walked to her office door and looked down the row of beds to where the two men were currently located. She'd insisted on a 24-hour observation period, followed by a week off. A week of no gate travel…but a week on base… where she and her staff could monitor their vitals and watch for anything that might develop.

Neither Dr. Jackson nor Teal'c had taken the medical stand-down passively. They had argued and debated the diagnosis of RGTS. But she had stood firm. And their little stumbling entrance into the 'Gateroom had firmly backed her up.

Watching the two men quietly discussing something, she thought about the SGC flagship team that was SG-1. General Jack O'Neill and Colonel Sam Carter had now been MIA for almost 4 months. And now the rest of SG-1 was officially on stand-down.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -

- - -


	58. Compulsion

- - -

**Ch 58: COMPULSION**

- - -

Day 63; 105th DOP _(122.5ED)_; WK 18

Another couple of weeks passed for Jack and Sam as they continued the four-day cycle where they spent one day exploring the 'Gate connections and then three days working and resting around camp. Their shelter was progressing nicely and they estimated that they would have the basic shell completed in the next month or so.

Today, they were back at the 'Gate and the two morning sessions had yielded 2 wormhole connections for the first session and 1 wormhole connection for the second session. After lunch, and with everything set up for another attempt, Sam gave him a small smile as he counted down to their third session of the day.

"..one, mark," he intoned and she placed her palm on the stone panel and closed her eyes. The stone warmed and rumbled as the inner ring began moving. The two planes and the wormhole appeared and she got her bearings and then began a preliminary scan of the view of stars visible today.

Moments later, she felt that gentle electrical-fizzing as he joined her. She waited as he got his bearings and then scanned the configuration of stars in the distance.

'Ready when you are,' he sent clearly and she sent back a mental smile and then began widening their field of view as they searched for those ephemeral light blue ribbons while scanning the star configurations.

Time passed fluidly for them as they panned and scanned the field of stars between the two planes.

And then they panned across a thread of blue.  
She pulled out and away until they could see both ends.  
He quickly picked an end and they zoomed in on their objective.  
When they were close enough, they waited.  
Scanning and watching the stars around for anything familiar.

And then it winked out and they easily connected their white orange ribbon.  
The count to 40 passed uneventfully and then they disconnected their wormhole.  
The pattern had become routine and they moved through the steps confidently.

Pulling back from their close-in view, they began methodically panning and scanning the stars again. Idly he wondered how many stars there were…and just how much space they had to search…

'Do you really want to know?' she sent back and he could feel her amusement.

But before he could form an answer, they both felt something… almost magnetic… pulling on them… He felt her turn her full concentration on the new feeling. He felt her openness to the new experience and her willingness to explore what was happening. As before, he was wary and cautious and watched suspiciously as events unfolded.

They rapidly picked up speed as they seemed to fly along with the tip of their glowing white wormhole. Their two planes flexing and stretching gracefully above and below them.

'Sam?' he tried to get her attention, but she was too focused as they were pulled along whatever path they were following. He could feel her exhilaration and excitement. 'Something' was happening.

And then a familiar light blue ribbon appeared across their view of stars.

But they didn't pull back for a larger view.  
Instead, they sped towards that glowing blue thread of light.  
Straight for it.

'Sam?' he tried again and received no response. He could tell that she wasn't consciously ignoring him… she simply wasn't hearing him.

'Sam!' he tried to accomplish the mental equivalent of shouting… but she still didn't hear him.

And then they slowed to a stop.  
Right next to the glowing blue tunnel.  
He looked down one direction and then the other.  
It stretched out of sight in both directions.

'Sam?' he tried again, but was then distracted as a distant pulse of light appeared in the blue ribbon.

Transfixed, he watched the pulse of light travel down the ribbon towards them.

And then he felt the end of their glowing white wormhole as it moved towards the glowing blue strand…

…And then the stars spun crazily.  
He couldn't focus on anything as the images in his mind rippled erratically.  
Intense waves of nausea and vertigo passed through him.

'Sam!' he tried futilely to get through to her.

And then he was ripped away from her.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	59. OrangeBlue

- - -

_Watching the two men quietly discussing something, Dr. Brightman thought about the SGC flagship team that was SG-1. General Jack O'Neill and Colonel Sam Carter had now been MIA for almost 4 months. And now the rest of SG-1 was officially on stand-down._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 59: ORANGE-BLUE**

- - -

Dr. Brightman watched SG-1 awaiting their departure for another planet in the months-old search for General O'Neill and Colonel Carter. She scanned the data on the summary sheet before her again. 122 days since the General and Colonel had disappeared. Eighteen days since the last episode of anything resembling RGTS for either Dr. Jackson or Teal'c. Each man had impatiently waited through her mandated week off and then had subsequently gone on two missions through the 'Gate without any apparent deleterious effects or symptoms. Today's mission would be the third mission in ten days as she was restricting them to a minimum of 2 days off between missions. Although the two men were not happy with the restrictions, they did not complain too vociferously as they knew that they were lucky that the SGC was still permitting them to continue the search after so much time had passed without any signs of the missing officers.

Watching from the control room, she heard Sgt. Davis calling out the chevrons.

…

"_Chevron 4, engaged."  
_"_Chevron 5, engaged."  
_"_Chevron 6, engaged."  
_"_Chevron 7, engaged… and locked...,"_ and that still-astounding rippling pool flushed outwards and then settled down to an amazingly innocuous-looking rippling puddle of light blue.

The four members of SG-1 looked up at the control room and the new CO, General Parker, leaned over to the microphone, "SG-1, you have a go," and he gave them a small nod and silent wishes for good luck.

Teal'c nodded somberly and Dr. Jackson gave the control room a small wave and then fell into step alongside the Jaffa as they walked up the ramp. Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey followed a few paces behind the two men.

Dr. Brightman watched as each figure melted into the vertical rippling pool and disappeared from view. The medical doctor stood and watched the placid puddle with ill-concealed fascination. She'd gotten the chance to travel to the Alpha Site on a couple of occasions, but the Stargate was still an almost unbelievable phenomenon to her.

"Outbound travelers in transit," Sgt. Davis quietly reported the routine information.

And then the sedate blue spasmed and roiled as if in full boil.

The doctor's eyes widened as she watched.

"What is going on?" General Parker demanded.

"I don't know, sir," Sgt. Davis returned. "I've never seen readings like this before," the experienced gate technician admitted.

As Brightman watched mesmerized, the shimmering blue was broken by a mottling of rippling orange-white. Bolts of blue electricity curled and snapped around the stone ring as the light show increased.

"Sergeant Davis?" Parker demanded in a tone that now held more awe and uncertainty in it.

"I don't know, sir. I've never seen anything like it," the poor soldier had to repeat his earlier words.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey had stepped into the wormhole, their trip began as any other normal trip through the interdimensional rollercoaster… with an adrenaline rush from the speed and feeling of movement.

And then there was a… bump…a jolt… and everything snapped… into a new direction… colors shifted crazily… nausea and vertigo assaulted them as they tumbled…

And then they were spit out.  
Slamming into suddenly too-solid reality.  
Mercilessly yanked into an abruptly appearing gravitational field.  
Slamming into solid stone.  
Tumbling painfully in a jangling jumble of arms and legs.

Finally, their momentum spent itself against the ground and they lay motionless.

Small movements came first.  
And then groans and moans of protest and complaint.

Teal'c pushed himself upright first and quickly attempted to assess the status of both his new surroundings and his companions. He and his teammates were sprawled and strewn down the unforgiving stone steps before an alien Stargate.

"Agh..ooww..," muttered DanielJackson.

The wormhole behind them was a strange mottling of the typical light blue and a strange pale-orange. The Jaffa watched curiously as the bizarre apparition rippled and strained.

"That sucked," came lowly but plainly from LieutenantHailey.

And then the strange event horizon flickered and then snapped off and the 'Gate powered down.

"I have to agree with you on that one," came wearily from DoctorRider.

Except for the four SGC teammembers, the Jaffa did not see any apparent signs of life in the immediate vicinity. Turning his attention back to his companions, he assessed their physical status. All three of them were pushing themselves into sitting positions on the stone steps as they sorted themselves out and began to take stock of their surroundings.

"Dragon, you OK?" Daniel asked with concern.

"Just fine, but I'm going to be stiff and sore tomorrow," the zoologist predicted ruefully.

"Jennifer?" Daniel asked.

"I'm fine too – just a few bumps and bruises, nothing broken," the young officer answered as she looked back at him assessingly. "How about you?"

"The same, nothing's broken, but I'm going to be sore in certain places for at least a week," the archeologist returned knowingly and then turned to the Jaffa, "Teal'c, you ok?"

"I am fine, DanielJackson," Teal'c replied stoically as he stood up cautiously to get a better view of their surroundings.

"So, what happened – and where are we?" Dragon questioned the others.

To which Jennifer added, " 'Cuz this sure ain't the volcanic slopes of P0X-628," and they all scanned the weedy clearing surrounded by trees and forest.

"There's no MALP," Daniel pointed out.

"Think the DHD's under there?" Dragon was pointing at a primitive shelter down in the clearing and a short ways in front of the stone steps.

"It would be in the right location, and I don't see anything else that looks promising," Jennifer replied.

Quietly Teal'c was cataloguing the scene around them as he stepped cautiously up the steps to gain some height and increase his vantage point. He could hear a suspicious clicking and he scanned the area carefully.

And then they heard a low sound and they all readied their weapons as they searched for the source. Daniel watched the Jaffa knowingly and was not surprised to see Teal'c facing with assurance at the side of the steps.

Motioning for the other three to remain where they were, the Jaffa crept forward silently with his staff weapon ready. And then he stopped and froze. Staring at something the others couldn't see.

And then the low sound came again.

And with that the silent Jaffa sprang forward and leaped off the side of the steps.

Without thinking twice, Daniel followed in Teal'c's wake, ready to assist and support with whatever the Jaffa required. The two women stared at each other for a split second and then moved forward more cautiously.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jack moaned as he swam back to consciousness. He could feel the solid ground under him and he knew that he was lying prone, but severe dizziness pinned him down. A part of him wondered if this was how Sam had felt when they'd ended those other sessions. Taking slow breaths, he felt the wooziness and nausea begin to dissipate.

Blindly he reached out a feeble hand and groped for her. Not finding her, he tried opening his eyes just a little, and saw her lying motionless a few feet away. Straining, he pulled himself close enough to touch her.

"Smm?" her name came out more of a moan and she didn't stir.

And then something flew into his peripheral vision and he clamped his eyes shut at the nausea that went along with the blurred movement of the visual images.

He could hear something…, "Jack?" he heard his name, and he responded, "Sam?" while trying to see through slitted eyes. But everything kept moving and he clamped his eyes shut again and tried to focus on his breathing.

"Sam?" he heard someone say and his mind tried to process what was going on.

And then hands were on him and he tried to push them away, not understanding.

"Jack?" he heard his name again, and it definitely wasn't her voice. He opened his eyes just a little again and the image of Daniel's face wavered in front of him.

"Daniel?" he got it out weakly and saw a smile split the young man's face.

"Yep, and Teal'c's over there with Sam," Daniel informed him.

Sam. He had to know how she was. "Sam?" he called to her but Daniel shook his head, "She's unconscious, Jack."

The vertigo and its nausea and wooziness were down to almost tolerable levels now and Jack opened his eyes further and got a better look at his young friend… and a woman just behind his right shoulder…she looked familiar… "Rider?" he asked and the civilian zoologist gave him an unabashed grin.

"Yes sir," she replied definitively.

Turning to Sam, he saw Teal'c and… Lt. Hailey?... kneeling on the other side of her. Momentarily ignoring the others, he pulled himself the last few inches over to Sam's side and placed his hand on her neck, feeling for a pulse, "Sam?" he asked while watching for any signs of movement from her.

Her pulse… she had one… and for now that's all he needed to know… he was too exhausted to think much beyond that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They all watched as he checked her pulse and then mumbled something incoherent before passing out by her side.

Snapping into action after that, they quickly checked the two officers over for injuries, took their basic vital signs and treated for shock. Teal'c left the two unconscious officers in the charge of Daniel and Dragon while the Jaffa enlisted Lt. Hailey's assistance with a preliminary scouting of the clearing.

- - - - -

"What is their condition?" the Jaffa inquired when they returned.

"They are both still unconscious," Daniel replied. "Jack has mumbled a few things and moved around a little, although he hasn't woken up again," and then he looked at his other friend, "Sam had a nosebleed…and some bleeding from the ears, but the bleeding appears to have stopped for now. She hasn't shown any signs of waking up yet."

The Jaffa nodded quietly as he and Lt. Hailey assimilated the information.

"What did you find?" Dragon asked curiously.

"Our cursory examination of the area revealed no signs of hostile life," the Jaffa reported.

"And, we have good news and bad news…," Jennifer added. "The good news is that we found the DHD - it _is_ under that covering."

"And the bad news?" Dragon asked with knowing dread.

"And the bad news is that it is badly damaged and doesn't work. I tried it. Nothing happened," the young officer stated with finality.

"That would explain why they didn't come home," Daniel sighed.

"It's obvious that Colonel Carter attempted to fix it – or at least hotwire it," Lt. Hailey supplied and Teal'c nodded his agreement. "And the covering looks like they were trying to protect it from the weather and dirt and animals and such."

"Any chance that you can fix it?" Dragon asked, although she was fairly certain of the answer.

Jennifer shook her head negatively, "I don't see how. If Colonel Carter couldn't fix it, then I wouldn't have a chance at getting it to work."

"So, now we're stranded here too," Dragon stated with an amazing calm, and silence descended over the clearing for a few moments as they all let the ramifications sink in.

"There is also something else to be aware of," Teal'c broke the silence and two sets of eyes looked back quizzically while one set looked down with resignation. "The DHD appears to have been damaged by the projectiles from an automatic weapon such as the Tauri P90."

Both Hailey and Teal'c watched the two scientists as they absorbed the new information and then extrapolated the potential implications.

"So either Jack or Sam …," and Daniel's voice trailed off as they all took in the P90 sitting ready on the ground next to the two unconscious soldiers.

"Yes, it appears most likely that one of them destroyed the DHD," Teal'c confirmed.

Daniel sighed, "This is going to be some story they have to tell us."

- - - - -

With Daniel and Dragon watching over Jack and Sam, Teal'c directed Lt. Hailey to use her digital camera to photograph everything around the Stargate. The laptop with the radio jury-rigged to it, the digital camera that had been clicking away when they arrived, the condition of the DHD and its shelter, the 'Gate alarm system that they discovered and anything else that she observed.

Teal'c in the meantime, made a more thorough search of the rest of the clearing and its perimeter. He again noted the footpath leading off into the woods, but did not explore further at the moment.

- - - - -

"Teal'c?" came over his radio.

"Yes, DanielJackson?" he replied.

"Jack's awake," Daniel informed him.

"Understood, I will be there in a few minutes," the Jaffa responded and then headed straight back across the clearing to the side of the 'Gate.

- - - - -

When he arrived, he found O'Neill struggling to sit up while DanielJackson and DoctorRider attempted to persuade him to stay prone. Lt. Hailey was wisely staying out of the debate and on the other side of ColonelCarter.

"Daniel, I'm just a little tired, now back off," Jack asserted grumpily as he tried to sit up so that he could check on Sam.

The archeologist sighed and reluctantly gave in and leant him a hand sitting up. "Whoa…," Jack muttered as his world wobbled a little.

"Told you to stay lying down," Daniel pointed out archly while Jennifer and Dragon exchanged questioning looks over the two men's behavior. Teal'c observed impassively, but with a reassuring sense of familiarity.

Pointedly ignoring Daniel's offered hand for stability, Jack leaned over Sam and laid a hand on her neck, checking for her pulse again while watching her face intently. "She's been unconscious since we got here, Jack," Daniel supplied softly and Jack glanced at him and then went back to his scrutiny of her.

"We need to get her to the infirmary," Jack stated without taking his eyes off of her.

"Well, that's a little difficult at the moment," Daniel countered.

"Why?" Jack looked at the archeologist.

"Because we're stuck here with you," and the young man shrugged apologetically.

Jack raised an eyebrow, "This… isn't a rescue?" and he looked at each of the four in turn.

"Well, it was supposed to be," Daniel replied unhelpfully.

"Just didn't end up that way," Dragon added and Jack sent her a quizzical look.

"We _were_ searching for you, sir… it's just that we thought we were going to P0X-628," Lt. Hailey offered, and at his blank reaction she added, "Land of volcanoes…," and then her voice trailed off as she saw his still questioning look.

"Teal'c?" he asked, hoping for clarity.

"We were attempting to travel to P0X-628 to search for yourself and ColonelCarter. Something unusual happened to the Stargate connection, however, and we disembarked here," and the other three raised their eyebrows in protest of his terse account that failed to describe their tumultuous trip through the wormhole… or their painful exit.

Jack's brow furrowed and then he asked heavily, "So you don't have a way to get us home?" he asked for confirmation.

"Not at this time," Teal'c replied evenly.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	60. From Two To Six

"_We were attempting to travel to P0X-628 to search for yourself and ColonelCarter. Something unusual happened to the Stargate connection, however, and we disembarked here." _

_Jack's brow furrowed and then he asked heavily, "So you don't have a way to get us home?" he asked for confirmation._

"_Not at this time," Teal'c replied evenly._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 60: FROM TWO TO SIX**

- - -

Jack's shoulders slumped and then he turned back to Sam as his mind attempted to assimilate the new information. He blinked and squinted his eyes as he tried to focus, the effects of the last 'Gate session still muddling his thought processes. The others watched him silently for a few moments.

And then the silence was broken as the Stargate powered up.

The four newcomers readied their weapons as Jack looked around for his P90. Teal'c handed it to him without taking his eyes off of the spinning Stargate.

"You guys expecting anyone?" Jack asked as they pulled Sam up against the base of the gate for cover.

"We don't even know where we are," Daniel returned as he took cover while watching the Stargate.

"Oh. Uh…well then, let me welcome you to P8X-539," Jack muttered as he took up a position next to Daniel while still covering Sam.

And then the Stargate suddenly powered off.

They all watched intently.  
The seconds ticked away silently.

The five SGC personnel exchanged questioning looks.

And then the Stargate powered up again… but there was no movement. The inner ring strained, but did not move. "I think it's stuck," Lt. Hailey muttered loud enough for those around her to hear.

Suddenly large sparks and crackling snaps and pops filled the air around the naquadah ring. All five dove away from the Stargate, Jack and Daniel pulling Sam with them. Sheltering their faces from the sudden electrical storm behind them, they lay face down on the ground with Sam sandwiched under Jack and Daniel.

The spectacular pyrotechnic display only lasted a little over a minute, but humans experience an odd 'focusing effect' during such moments… where all normal and routine multitasking ceases… and one's entire consciousness is focused on the here and now… feeling and experiencing each millisecond… and this is unusual. Normally, the human mind is thinking about several threads simultaneously… what you're planning for dinner later… what you're going to do over the weekend… judging how well that conversation went yesterday with your coworker… when you plan to get your hair cut… what not to forget at the grocery store… mental reminders to put the wet wash into the dryer… All of this and more wanders in and out of one's consciousness at the same time that life is happening.

But in times of dramatic events, such as an earthquake, or a fire, … or a Stargate short-circuiting… in such times, all facets of the human brain come to bear on the present. And with that much undistracted mental focus, we become conscious of every sense… we experience sound and smell and taste with a vividness that is not approached at any other time in our lives. As a consequence, time seems to slow down. Each second feels like 5 or 10 seconds. Minutes are interminable. We feel so much… so intensely.

Jack pulled himself more completely over Sam. Shielding her from the heat and general cacophony behind him. He felt the contrast between the softness that was her and the gritty hardness of the ground and the prickly needlepoints of the crumpled weeds smashed beneath them. He felt Daniel on the other side, helping him shield her. He felt Lt. Hailey on the other side of him, and realized that the young officer was against his side, the junior officer using her body to at least partially shield her superior officer's.

The intense smell of burnt ozone filled the air as the crackling and snapping behind them continued. Jack held onto Sam, feeling her beneath him, and feeling Daniel and the Lieutenant on either side.

And then, the intensity and ferocity of the electrical storm finally diminished dramatically. Dying down to just some fizzing and small crackling.

Slowly and carefully, five of the six raised their heads and looked around. Jack's eyes met Daniel's and with quick, silent nods, they told each other that they were each basically ok. Both men quickly glanced down at Sam's quiet face and closed eyes, and Jack moved a hand to her neck to feel for a pulse. Daniel waited interminable seconds and then Jack nodded with relief, letting Daniel know that she was still alive.

Both men pushed themselves up a bit and turned to look at the rest of their group. Lt. Hailey was still holding a hand on the General's back and watching the others assessingly. Jack gave her a small reassuring grin and a nod of acknowledgement as his eyes quickly took in Teal'c and Dr. Rider just a few feet beyond the Lieutenant. Teal'c had unsurprisingly shielded Dr. Rider with his body, and the two of them were pushing themselves to sitting positions while looking over at the other four.

"Dr. Rider? Teal'c?" Jack asked.

"Just fine, General… a little bruised and shaken up, but other than that…," Dr. Rider reported while visually inspecting the others for any injuries.

"I too am fine," Teal'c replied with his customary brevity.

Shifting his eyes back to the Lieutenant, "Hailey?" he prompted.

"I'm fine, sir," the young officer replied crisply and he studied her for a moment and then gave her a knowing look for her actions to shield him. "Right," and then he turned back to the archeologist, "Daniel?"

"Just a few more bruises," he replied with a dismissive shrug.

Nodding, Jack took one more look at the only one who couldn't answer any questions, and then joined the others as they stared at the Stargate.

The air was strong with that sharp smell of electrocuted air.

The Stargate was dark and the stone scored and marred with black streaks where the high voltage electricity had crackled and snapped.

As they watched and absorbed the new condition of the Stargate, the background fizzing and crackling quickly died away to a complete silence.

"Wow," Lt. Hailey finally broke the silence with an understated exclamation that conveyed both a comment on what had just happened as well as the longer-term ramifications.

"Wow is right, Lieutenant," Jack muttered softly.

- - - - - - - -

Teal'c, Lt. Hailey and Daniel walked around the Stargate and inspected the damage. Dr. Rider stayed with Jack and monitored Sam.

"So what's the verdict, Lieutenant?" Jack asked Hailey when they returned.

Shaking her head negatively, the young woman replied, "I think the 'Gate is fried, sir."

"Fried?" he questioned with a small smile at the scientist's uncharacteristic use of such a non-technical term.

But she only nodded solemnly, "Yes, sir. I don't think this 'Gate is capable of sending or receiving any wormhole connections. Maybe we could jury-rig something if we had the resources of the SGC at hand… but…," and the young officer's voice trailed off.

"But we don't have the resources of the SGC," Jack completed with understanding and looked at the four new arrivals… who were now apparently stranded here with Sam and himself.

His practical mind kicked into gear and he noted the low levels of light indicating that the day was progressing inexorably into early evening. Out of habit, he glanced at his watch for confirmation and then back at Sam's quiet form. "Allright campers, we'd better get camp set up before dark." With a minimum of direction, they packed up what loose gear was lying around, and with Teal'c carrying Sam, Jack guided them down the path that led to their campsite and shelter.

They quickly tucked Sam into a sleeping bag and periodically monitored her pulse and respiration for any changes. Questions and explanations were put off while they erected tents, set out bedrolls, rekindled the fire and set to cooking an evening meal. Jack ate silently and they did not grill him for information… yet. His mind was still a bit fuzzy from the effects of that last 'Gate session and he had yet to completely comprehend what had happened. He kept looking at the four new arrivals as if they were figments of his imagination.

Sam hadn't stirred. The tent flaps were tied open and Jack sat protectively in the tent's doorway, with one eye on her and the other on the fire and their new companions.

The other four watched him watch her.

"Jack, what happened to you and Sam?" Daniel asked gently while gesturing with his head towards the unconscious woman in the tent. His question was deliberately vague, allowing Jack's answer to range from just the events of today, to the events of the past four months.

Jack nodded vaguely and stared at her silent form, "She's been like this two other times since we've been here… It's almost like a coma… she woke up the first time after just a few hours… but the second time it was three days."

"Three days?" Daniel echoed in amazement.

"Yeah… but that was different than this… that time she'd healed me… this time, she was controlling the 'Gate…, and there was never any bleeding before," he replied absently as he continued staring at her.

The others watched and waited for further explanation, but it quickly became apparent that Jack was not going to synopsize the past four and a half months in the next few minutes. Dragon looked over and caught Jennifer's eyes, "How about if we check the camp alarm system and then check out the local facilities?" she proposed and with a quick assent the two women left the three men of SG-1 with a little privacy.

After a few moments of silence, Daniel asked, "Is she going to be ok?"

Jack shook his head, "I don't know."

After a few more moments of silence, Teal'c stood quietly, "I will patrol the immediate vicinity," and then silently moved off, leaving the two remaining men with their sleeping charge.

- - - - - - - -

"So," Daniel offered non-committally.

"So," Jack returned equally.

"I'm sorry that I didn't know about the Vandi, Jack," Daniel apologized and Jack looked startled.

"That wasn't your fault Daniel," Jack dismissed the younger man's guilt.

"Maybe, maybe not," the archeologist allowed, "But I still feel that those types of things are my responsibility… and I didn't catch it."

Jack sighed, "Daniel none of this was your fault," and he held up a hand to forestall the young man's protestations, "Some of it was simply the price of doing business with an alien culture… and some of it was the effect of an alien narcotic… and some of it was my fault," Jack stated flatly.

"Jack-," Daniel started, but the officer cut him off.

"Daniel, I stole military supplies and equipment, I misused the Stargate, I traveled across the galaxy to abduct a fellow officer and then I stranded the two of us here by shooting the hell out of the DHD," Jack synopsized brutally and Daniel winced.

Jack looked over at the younger man, "So what happened to you and Teal'c? Did you go off and kidnap anyone?" and he employed a deliberately flippant and challenging tone.

Daniel took a deep breath and blew it out slowly while shaking his head negatively, "No… we both just…," and his voice trailed off as his face reddened and he settled for just shrugging his shoulders.

"Right," Jack returned shortly and continued staring at Sam.

- - - -

The four new arrivals were back around the fire again while Jack continued his silent vigil in the tent doorway. Just as Daniel was opening his mouth to ask a question, Jack suddenly stood up and started looking around.

"What are you looking for?" Daniel asked curiously.

"There was a digital camera… and a laptop…," he muttered vaguely as he scanned the items arrayed around the camp.

"They're over here, sir," Lt. Hailey pointed at the equipment just behind her. The laptop and radio were charred and melted, but the camera had survived amazingly unscathed. Sensing the General's unspoken questions, she added, "I had moved the camera over with my gear, but the laptop and radio were still right next to the base of the 'Gate."

He stared at her for a moment, nodded and then rooted through the stacks of supplies under the shelter…. returning a few moments later with another -uncharred- laptop and a small accessories kit. "Everything's backed up," he muttered and then set to booting up the laptop and then the digital camera.

The camera, however, did not work. He sighed audibly and Hailey offered, "Sir, perhaps it's just the batteries," and she deftly popped the batteries out of her camera and swapped them for the ones in his camera.

Now the camera functioned normally, and with a quick nod of thanks to the Lieutenant, he quickly started to download the camera's digital images onto the laptop. When it was finished, he disconnected the camera and then moved back into the tent's open doorway, where he could keep an eye on Sam. Sitting sideways in the tent doorway, he had an easy view of Sam while also catching some firelight for the keyboard. The others watched curiously from around the fire as he set to pecking away on the laptop intently.

Finally, Daniel could take it no longer and he got up and walked over and sat down next to the military officer. "What are you doing?" and he tried to keep his voice casual.

Jack glanced up at him, "Checking out the images of the 'Gate connection," he returned briefly.

Daniel looked askance at his other companions but saw no explanations forthcoming as they all simply shrugged or shook their heads briefly. Turning his attention to the computer monitor, he watched as Jack opened a slide viewing program and loaded the recently downloaded pictures. "I didn't know that you knew how to do that, Jack," Daniel couldn't help needling the older man.

Jack just looked at him sideways, "I've watched Sam do it dozens of times," and he just left his explanation at that as he started stepping through the images.

Daniel watched curiously as he quickly identified the Stargate, and then Sam standing in the bottom corner of the photo. He leaned forward as he realized that she had her hand pressed against the stone base. "Jack, what's she doing?" he couldn't help asking.

"Turning the 'Gate on," the officer replied as if it was obvious.

Daniel raised an eyebrow and glanced at his three other companions… who were each watching the two men intently. Turning back to the images, Daniel next noticed that the 'Gate lit up and as Jack stepped through the sequence, Daniel realized that the inner ring of the 'Gate was moving. Next, a white event horizon snapped into existence. "Whoa…," the archeologist breathed.

Jack glanced over at him again and smirked, "Yeah, I think I said something along those lines the first time I saw it," and then the officer looked up to see three other sets of eyes staring back curiously. Sighing, he glanced back at Sam and then addressed the group, "Come on over here, where you can see," and he waved them over.

Not needing a second invitation, Lt. Hailey and Doctor Rider moved quickly and took up positions where they could see the computer screen. Teal'c quietly placed himself standing to one side and behind the others. "Can you see from there, big guy?" Jack asked before he continued.

"I can," the Jaffa returned soberly.

Jack glanced at Sam again and then turned back to the slide viewing program and started the sequence over for those who'd just joined them.

He quickly stepped through the slides again to the establishment of the event horizon. "Why is it white?" Lt. Hailey asked.

"It's actually slightly orange," Jack corrected. "You just aren't seeing the colors correctly because of your angle to the LCD screen."

They all stared at him.

"What?" and he gave them a look of challenging innocence.

"ColonelCarter's influence is apparent, O'Neill," Teal'c's deep voice reverberated from above them.

"Well, it has been four and half months," Jack muttered and then turned back to the slide show.

"Um, sir?" Lt. Hailey interrupted him.

"Yeah?" he returned.

"Why is it white…and slightly orange?" and she tried her question again.

"Oh. We don't know," he returned with a shrug as he began stepping through the images again. They watched as Jack stepped up alongside Sam and put his hand on her arm.

"What are you doing, Jack?" Daniel asked.

"Hmmm? Oh. It works better with both of us," he gave them another partial answer that simply begged for more questions, but they held their tongues for now.

They watched as the images advanced and the only movement was the turning of the inner 'Gate ring and the flickering of the glowing event horizon.

And then Jack slowed the pace of the advancing slides and he silently pointed at Sam's hand for them. Squinting, their eyes widened when they saw the green glow leaking out from around the edges of her palm.

"What-?" Daniel started to ask, but Jack cut him off with a simple, "Don't know."

Next, he pointed at the event horizon and now they could all see that it was a more sedate pale orange rather than the glowing off-white.

He stepped through the next set of photos until the event horizon flickered and then reestablished in a glowing white. "Just over a minute," he muttered as he checked the time index.

"A minute?" Dragon carefully maintained a conversational tone.

"We would always try for a minute or so… it gave the message enough time to cycle through 4 or 5 times," Jack replied while stepping through the photos again.

"The message?" Lt. Hailey queried.

Jack looked up and studied the curious faces around him and sighed, "Yeah, we set the laptop up with one of the radios, to broadcast a repeating, encrypted message that included our names, the designation of this planet - P8X-539, and the fact that the DHD here didn't work."

"So the SGC may know where we are?" Dragon extrapolated.

"That was probably them trying to connect when the Gate… shorted out," Jennifer mused.

Jack studied the young officer for a moment and then nodded, "No one else has dialed in the entire time we've been here." Jack opened his mouth as if he was going to say more, but then apparently changed his mind and refocused on the images on the computer.

Jack slowed down again as he was advancing the slides. Lines of blue electricity curled around the stone ring and its stone base and the two officers jerked. Jack was thrown backwards, but Sam remained standing, her body shaking with sharp tremors. Jack let out a strangled moan and then began stepping through the pictures again. Next, the event horizon flushed outwards and then settled back down. The blue lines of electricity faded away as the event horizon settled down to a convulsive rippling with a shifting mottled pattern of blues and orange-whites.

"That is how the event horizon appeared when I looked back after our arrival," Teal'c suddenly offered from behind them.

"I didn't see that," Dragon breathed while watching intently.

"Me either," Daniel agreed and Jennifer just nodded without taking her eyes off of the screen.

And then they saw themselves tumble out of the 'Gate and down the steps. "Ouch," Daniel commented and the two women winced at the sharp memories.

But Jack wasn't watching their acrobatics, he was watching Sam. The green glow had engulfed her hand and she was still shaking as if the electric currents were still arcing across the 'Gate.

The event horizon continued to ripple and convulse as the four new arrivals detangled themselves. They saw Teal'c push himself up and look back. And then it snapped off and Jack stopped on that photo, "Twenty-four seconds," he muttered after checking the time index again.

Short, but long enough for their encrypted message to get through.

Advancing to the next few photos, they saw Sam go limp and slump to the ground unconscious.

"Wow," Jennifer finally spoke into the silence.

"Yeah. Wow," Dragon seconded the young officer's comment.

"Jack… you said that Sam's been asleep like this before?" Daniel couldn't help but ask after seeing that series of images.

"Well, she's been asleep like this… unconscious, or whatever this is…," and then he paused for a breath, "But there's never been any bleeding before… and that thing with the 'Gate, that was new… we'd done stuff similar… but that whole blue electrical thing… and the 'Gate connection was different… and, well, nothing's ever come through before… let alone people…," and his voice trailed off.

"So…," Daniel watched Sam with him.

"So I don't know," and they all heard the depth of emotion in his voice.

Silence descended again as they all thought over what they'd seen and what they still didn't know or understand. And to their surprise, he broke the silence, "She said that it was highly unlikely that anything would be able to come through to our planet when we connected… because we were establishing outgoing wormholes…," and then he looked at them almost accusingly, "But you came through," and then his expression relented, "Of course, there was something different about that wormhole… it wasn't the simple pale orange…," and his voice trailed off again as he continued to stare at her silent form.

Daniel watched his long-time friend sympathetically for a few moments and then turned to the quiet group, "How about if we call it a night?" he asked the others.

They each nodded silently and set to policing the camp before settling in for watch or some sack time. The four new arrivals planned to follow their customary four-watch rotation and did not ask Jack to take one.

When Jack sat down next to Sam, Doctor Rider asked the other three to join her for a private discussion on the other side of the fire and out of the General's earshot.

"Um.. I don't want to upset any applecarts here, but should he be sleeping in there with her?" Doctor Rider broached the touchy subject.

Daniel sighed and Teal'c showed no reaction. Jennifer waited and watched.

"I can't believe that Jack would hurt Sam," Daniel voiced with belief.

"He did abduct her and strand her here for four and a half months," Dragon pointed out.

And no one needed to point out the issues with the current sleeping arrangements and military regs.

"The Sandaran Vandi was responsible for GeneralO'Neill's actions four and a half months ago," Teal'c intoned quietly.

"Yes…, but…. are you ok with this?" and she gestured at the two officers in the tent across from them. "You're sure that… this is safe?"

Teal'c's and Daniel's eyes met for a silent conversation that only lasted seconds and then the Jaffa answered, "I am confident that SamanthaCarter will come to no harm from O'Neill; however, whoever is on watch will make frequent checks on her status."

"Uh…does anyone know what he's doing now?" Jennifer asked with trepidation and they all looked over to see Jack kneeling next to Sam with his hand on her chest. Eyebrows shot up and eyes widened as the four teammates tried to figure out a reasonable explanation for what the General was doing.

Dragon took the initiative and strode over to the tent, "Sir, what are you doing?" she asked directly while keeping her tone non-confrontational.

Jack hung his head and sighed in defeat as he sat back, "It didn't work."

"What didn't work, Jack?" Daniel had been right on Dragon's heels.

The officer looked up from staring at Sam and glanced at the four pairs of wary eyes watching him. Sighing again, he offered, "I was trying to heal her… I did it once before," and he winced at their expressions of disbelief and then mused outloud, "But she wasn't in one of these deep sleeps at the time…," and his eyes went back to his study of Sam's face, "It didn't work the last time I tried it when she was sleeping like this…," and his voice trailed off.

"Jack?" Daniel interrupted the officer's ruminations.

"Yeah?" and Jack glanced up and then back down at her sleeping form.

"I think you should bunk with me tonight," Daniel recommended

Jack's head shot up to pin the archeologist's gaze, "Why?" he demanded sharply.

"Jack, we don't understand everything that happened here… tomorrow, hopefully there will be time for you to bring us up to speed… but for right now, it's probably better for everyone if you bunk with me tonight and Dragon and Jennifer will watch Sam," and the archeologist tried to keep his tone reasonable and non-confrontational.

Jack stared at him and then looked at each of the others in turn, "You don't trust me," he accused, but without rancor.

"Jack, we don't know what to think right now-," Daniel started, but Jack interrupted.

"No, you're right Daniel," he said as he made his way out of the tent while dragging a sleeping bag with him. "I stranded the two of us here and now you four are stuck here as well. I took Sam away unconscious and here we are, over four months later, and she's unconscious again," and he gave the archeologist a hard look. "I can understand why you are all confused…"

"Not to mention the weird wormhole connection and the strange references to you and Sam healing each other," Daniel added and then shrugged apologetically.

Jack nodded curtly, "I'll sleep right here, outside the tent. Dr. Rider or Lt. Hailey can bunk with Sam. And you need to check on her every hour or so," he directed.

"Yes sir," Lt. Hailey spoke quietly as she went to fetch her bedroll.

"We'll take care of her, sir," Dr. Rider reassured him.

Jack stared into the tent at Sam's motionless form and then glanced back up, "Make sure that you do," and then he turned his attention to laying his sleeping bag just outside the tent, but where he would not impede the flow of anyone going in or out.

Daniel and Teal'c watched their friend silently for a few moments and then moved off to finish putting things away for the evening.

- - - - - -

No one got much sleep that night.  
All four of the newcomers watched Sam for any signs of improvement.  
And they watched Jack carefully, wondering what he was going to do next.

Jack was acutely aware of their watchful eyes. He tried to ignore their attentions, but the presence of four more people made him feel crowded.

He was also simply finding it hard to sleep or rest without her next to him.  
So he tossed and turned and looked in at her every few minutes.

They all watched his restless actions warily.

Sam was the only one who got any real sleep that night.

- - - -

Jack checked his watch for the hundredth time. 0350. The sun would be up in a few hours, and he found himself thinking clearly for what felt like the first time since that last 'Gate session. The events after that were a series of almost disjointed segments, and he wondered what the other four were thinking of his behavior and lack of explanations.

His eyes roamed over the constellations in the night sky. He found Charlie's softball… significantly higher in the sky at this time of the night. His mind wandered over the events of the past four months and then he thought about what might lay ahead of them now. He picked out a few more constellations, but his eyes kept coming back to Charlie's softball.

And as he stared up at the glittering stars in the inky black sky, his vision suddenly whited-out.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	61. Assistance

- - -

Author's Note: I've had this chapter ready for days, so I'm really glad that Fanfiction is accepting new uploads and postings!

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_Jack checked his watch for the hundredth time. 0350. The sun would be up in a few hours, and he found himself thinking clearly for what felt like the first time since that last 'Gate session. The events after that were a series of almost disjointed segments, and he wondered what the other four were thinking of his behavior and lack of explanations. _

_And as he stared up at the glittering stars in the inky black sky, his vision suddenly whited-out._

- - -

**Ch 61: ASSISTANCE**

- - -

"O'Neill?"

And he was suddenly looking up at a large grey head with large black eyes. "Thor?" he asked incredulously from his prone position on the floor.

"Yes, O'Neill," and the alien's eyes blinked slowly at him.

Sitting up quickly, Jack looked around. He was on an Asgard ship. Dr. Rider and Daniel were both pushing themselves up into sitting positions while Teal'c and Lt. Hailey were already standing.

"Whoa..!" came from Dr. Rider while Lt. Hailey's face morphed into an expression of amazement and excitement. Daniel simply shook his head and looked around while Teal'c looked as if he popped up to Asgard ships every night.

Jack scanned the room quickly once more, "Thor, Sam was on the planet with us."

"Yes, O'Neill. Based on Colonel Carter's bio signs, I transported her directly to a bio pod," the diminutive grey alien replied calmly.

Jack pushed himself to his feet, "Can you heal her?"

"That is unknown at this time. We are currently assessing her status," the Asgard replied.

"Right," and Jack pulled in a breath, "Well, not that I'm not happy to see you, but if you'd point me towards your version of the infirmary, I'd like to see her for myself."

The alien nodded slightly, "As you wish," and simply began walking down a hallway. The others looked at each other and shrugged, and then fell in behind.

"Uh, Thor?" Daniel spoke up.

"Yes, Doctor Jackson?" Thor replied calmly.

"Did the SGC tell you where we were?" the archeologist inquired.

"Yes," the Asgard replied economically.

"They must have received the message," Dr. Rider commented.

Thor nodded at the zoologist, "You are correct, Dr. Rider." and her eyebrows rose at the alien's proper use of her title and name. "Unfortunately, the Tauri Stargate malfunctioned when the SGC attempted to connect with the planet designated in the message. The SGC Stargate is currently offline and undergoing repairs."

On hearing this information, Daniel, Jennifer and Dragon exchanged looks while Jack winced. "The SGC must have experienced a short-circuit and/or feedback event similar to what we saw on the digital images," Jennifer speculated accurately.

"So you came to get us?" Daniel asked.

"Yes," the small grey alien replied briefly.

"Thanks," Dragon sent the Asgard a grateful smile and received a small nod of the head in response.

"Any chance you could pick up our gear?" Daniel asked hopefully.

To which the Asgard nodded slightly again, "We have already beamed up all of your equipment and supplies. They are currently in a storage room."

"Uh, thanks," Daniel answered quietly as they entered another room where the only significant items were a console on a raised dais and one of the Asgard bio-pods. With one unconscious Sam Carter inside.

Thor stepped up onto the dais and began studying and working with the console. Jack stepped over and looked down at her with Daniel and Teal'c just a step behind. Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey hung back, giving the three men of SG-1 some space.

"O'Neill, Colonel Carter's biosigns are extremely unusual. What can you tell me of how she was injured?" the Asgard inquired.

Jack sighed, "It's a long story… four and a half months long to be exact," he answered.

The Asgard simply blinked slowly in response and waited patiently.

Jack ran a hand through his hair, "Well, the DHD was damaged and wouldn't work, so we were accessing the Stargate through this hour-glass-shaped panel in the platform below the 'Gate… and something went wrong. There was this… green glow around her hand… and the event horizon was this weird mottling of orange-white and blue…and there were these giant sparks curling around the Stargate… Sam and I both got shocked, but she got it worse… I was thrown clear, but she wasn't. The wormhole was apparently connected to the SGC for 24 seconds and then it shut down and Sam collapsed. She had a nosebleed and some bleeding from the ears…and she's been unconscious ever since."

The Asgard waited a few moments before speaking, and then, "You and Samantha Carter operated the Stargate without the use of the standard control interface, what the Tauri call the DHD?"

"Right, the DHD was damaged," Jack repeated.

"Have you ever done this before?" the Asgard inquired.

"We started experimenting with it about 10 weeks ago… but yesterday was the first time that anything came through the wormhole," Jack explained.

"And that anything would be us," and Daniel gestured at the four of them.

The Asgard did not reply immediately and Jack added, "Sam healed me twice and I healed her once….with this weird green glowy thing. The last time that Sam healed me, she was in a deep sleep like this for three days," and then he waited for Thor's reaction.

Without replying, the alien turned his attention back to his console and worked the controls while studying the readouts. Jack turned back to watching Sam… who appeared to be simply asleep inside the alien pod.

"O'Neill, I have not encountered a human with these life sign readings before, nor is there information in our database sufficient to cure Colonel Carter," and with that statement, the mood in the room dropped considerably. "However, based on your description of how you accessed the Stargate, I believe that we should consult the Nox for their expertise and information."

"You think they can help?" Jack asked.

"It is possible," the Asgard replied.

"How long will it take to get there?" Daniel asked.

"Two point six of your Earth-based hours," the alien replied accurately. Dragon and Jennifer exchanged amazed looks while the three men of SG-1 simply nodded.

"How is she in the meantime?" Jack asked softly.

"Colonel Carter is stable at the moment. I can place her in stasis if her condition deteriorates before we reach our destination," Thor replied steadily.

"Right then," Jack replied, "Noxville here we come," he quipped.

No one attempted a rejoinder to that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Muzzy.

Thick.

S l o w.

Just… here.

No direction… no movement.

Just… here.

S l o w.

Thick.

Muzzy.

Not in control… but not quite struggling for control.

She was simply… here.

And then darkness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And a little over two and a half hours later, Thor beamed aboard two of the aliens with their distinctive moss-and-twig-like hair that wreathed pleasant and peaceful faces.

"General O'Neill, Doctor Jackson, Teal'c," Anteaus nodded his head slightly in greeting.

"Anteaus, Lya," Jack returned politely, "This is Doctor Rider and Lieutenant Hailey."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Doctor Rider and Lieutenant Hailey," the pleasant-faced alien replied and both the zoologist and the young officer nodded respectfully in return.

Turning back to Jack and Thor, Anteaus spoke, "Thor has described Colonel Carter's condition to us. We would like to examine her, if that is agreeable?"

Jack looked at Thor, who simply nodded slowly and led the group to Sam's biopod. Stepping back up onto the raised dais, the Asgard used the control panel and the transparent pane over Sam's torso slid back into the pod.

Without speaking, Anteaus and Lya moved over to the side of the pod and extended their hands over Sam's chest. Crossing their arms at the wrists, the Nox closed their eyes. The five humans and one Asgard waited silently.

And then the Nox became translucent, and then so did Sam.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She swam back towards awareness.  
Again.

And this time, she finally broke through.  
She tried to open her eyes… but for some reason couldn't.  
She tried to listen for any sounds… but heard nothing.  
She tried to speak… but weirdly couldn't make anything happen.  
She tried to move… but discovered that she couldn't move… anything.  
She couldn't even feel… her body…

Sensory deprivation?  
She'd never been in one of those… tanks?

Fear seeped unbidden around the edges of her thoughts.  
Where was she?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Their images wavered and then returned to normal.  
Anteaus and Lya opened their eyes, but Sam did not.

"Her physical injuries are basically repaired, however we could not reach her mind," Anteaus stated solemnly.

"Her mind?" Daniel asked and the Nox tilted his head slightly.

"We must consult with Thor before we can tell you more," Lya answered softly.

"OK…, then… consult away," Jack invited.

Nodding respectfully to the five humans, the two Nox moved off to confer with the Asgard.

Jack turned his attention back to Sam, while Daniel moved to his side. "So what do you think they accomplished, Daniel?" Jack asked the younger man.

Daniel considered his answer and then offered, "I think that they healed whatever physical damage was caused by that weird electrical discharge that happened right before we came through the wormhole."

Jack nodded, "Whatever was bleeding for example…"

And Daniel nodded in return.

"And what do you think they meant by 'could not reach her mind'?" Jack pursued.

And here the archeologist had to shrug and shake his head negatively, "I'm not sure, Jack," he admitted.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She pushed past the thick muzziness of semi-consciousness and struggled for awareness again. She didn't know how many times she'd repeated this cycle. Unconscious, semi-conscious, aware… unconscious, semi-conscious, unconscious, semi-conscious, unconscious, semi-conscious, aware, unconscious… shuffle and repeat…

She had no concept of time.  
Days, weeks, months, years…  
…or perhaps it was all just minutes.

This time, however, when she broke through to that state of awareness… this time, she remembered. She remembered the images of the wormhole and the two confining planes. She remembered the second wormhole… the light blue one. She remembered the strong force pulling them towards…

Them…  
She remembered…  
Them…  
She remembered – Him.

Where was he? She reached out for him mentally.  
Searching for that familiar and comforting mental fizzing that was him.

But she felt only silence.  
She felt only emptiness.

He was not here.

She tried to look for him… for the two planes… for the wormhole…  
But she couldn't see anything.  
She couldn't control her eyes… she couldn't even feel her eyes.  
She strained to hear anything.  
But the silence was absolute and complete.  
She thought about speaking, but couldn't even command a breath.

She mentally groped for something to center on.  
Something to recognize and identify.

But there was nothing but darkness and her own cloudy thoughts.  
Sensory deprivation?  
Or was this what a coma was like?  
Unable to move, feel or interact with anything.

And what had happened to Jack?  
She reached out for him mentally again.  
Searching for that reassuring fizzing sensation that was so definitively him.

But she felt nothing.  
Just dark and quiet… and nothing.

She couldn't reach him, she couldn't find him.  
She'd lost him.  
He was gone.

She was tiring.  
Sinking.

Suddenly the image of a mottled shimmering appeared in her mind.  
Reminding her of an event horizon…  
… and without her conscious control, she slipped through its wavering surface.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Strident tones accompanied by blinking lights caused a sudden burst of activity. Thor focused on his readouts and controls while the two Nox stepped back over to the side of Sam's biopod. The five humans watched with mounting concern.

"Wha-?" Jack started to ask as he stepped forward, but Teal'c's restraining arm held him back.

"Jack, let them work," Daniel spoke quietly to his friend as they watched the aliens focus on Sam.

Sam's body jerked and convulsed.

Jack reflexively tried to move forward again, but both Daniel and Teal'c held onto him.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	62. Connections

_Strident tones accompanied by blinking lights caused a sudden burst of activity. Thor focused on his readouts and controls while the two Nox stepped back over to the side of Sam's biopod. The five humans watched with mounting concern._

_Sam's body jerked and convulsed._

_Jack reflexively tried to move forward again, but both Daniel and Teal'c held onto him._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 62: CONNECTIONS**

- - -

Sam's body jerked and convulsed again.

Lya was watching Sam closely while Anteaus was watching Thor. The Asgard was working the controls of his instrument panel and seemingly oblivious to the onlookers.

A few minutes later, Thor looked at Anteaus and nodded silently. The Nox returned the small nod and turned back to face Sam at Lya's side. As before, the Nox raised their arms and then crossed them at the wrists.

Within moments the images of Sam and the two Nox became a shimmering translucence.

The silent minutes passed agonizingly slow for the five human observers.

And then the three images became solid again. The two Nox studied Sam for a moment and then Anteaus stepped over towards Thor while Lya placed a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder while continuing to watch her.

Jack moved forward, and this time Teal'c and Daniel let him go. He moved to stand on the other side of the biopod from Lya.

"Is she-?" Jack asked incompletely.

Lya looked up at the Tauri across from her and sent him a compassionate look, "Her mind is… disconnected… from this reality."

"Disconnected?" Jack echoed as his eyes scrutinized Sam's face for any hopeful signs. Absently, he brushed his fingers across her forehead, gently sweeping her hair out of her face.

"That portion that you would call the mind and soul remains in the interdimensional realm traversed by the wormholes," Anteaus explained incompletely as he returned to Lya's side.

"In our earlier session, we were able to repair the basic physical injuries and we could distantly sense her consciousness," Lya picked up the thread. "But we were unable to make contact."

Before the humans could ask another question, Thor offered, "A few minutes ago, Samantha Carter's heart began to fail. I believe that humans call it ventricular fibrillation," the Asgard clarified and then added, "Through the biopod, I administered basic resuscitation."

Dragon muttered, "Asgard CPR…," to which the small grey alien nodded slightly.

"And now?" Jack asked with foreboding.

"And now her basic autonomic functions are restored," Thor replied and then added, "However, her biosigns are not strong and will undoubtedly deteriorate again."

"I thought you said that her physical injuries were repaired from that… see-through-ghosty… session?" Jack addressed the two silent Nox.

"Our healing techniques are holistic and require the integration of the mind _and_ body for complete and proper healing," Anteaus replied calmly.

"Unfortunately, without Samantha's mind participating in the healing session, we are unable to completely restore her to health," Lya continued the explanation.

"I don't remember _my_ mind participating in any 'healing session' when you brought us back after Apophis and his Jaffa killed us a few years ago," Jack pointed out.

"You would not remember," Lya responded and then clarified, "We work primarily with the subconscious."

"As long as her mind is detached from her body, we are unable to completely heal her," Anteaus reiterated. "We can heal some physical injuries, as we did earlier, but we can not prevent new problems from occurring. As her mind interacts with the interdimensional realm, there may be… repercussions… experienced by her physical body… such as occurred a few moments ago. Although her mind is effectively consciously disconnected from this space-time, there still exists a weak physical link with her body. It is fragile and unstable, however, and she does not know what she must do to return. She is undoubtedly not even aware of where she actually is."

"We will work with Thor and attempt to combine Asgard medical knowledge with the techniques of the Nox," Lya added gently.

"Like you did when Thor got her heart going properly again and then you helped her from there?" Dragon asked.

"Yes," Lya replied with a small smile.

A few moments of silence passed as the five humans digested the new information.

"Will you place ColonelCarter in stasis?" Teal'c reminded them of an option that Thor had mentioned before they had arrived at the Nox planet.

Anteaus replied, "Unfortunately, stasis would effectively remove her body from this space-time and her mind would not have anything to recognize when she searches to return."

"So how do we get her back?" Jack's worry and concern lending itself to irritation and a lack of patience. The others gave him understanding looks.

"General O'Neill, in order for us to fully understand Colonel Carter's current condition, we would greatly appreciate it if you could relate the details leading up to her injury," Anteaus requested politely.

"Where do you want me to start?" Jack asked wearily.

"We need as much detail as possible," Lya replied.

And with that Jack finally launched into a synopsis of the events over the past four and a half months. When he got to Sam's accounts of the green glow between her palm and his chest when he had the fever, the Nox asked specific questions… most of which he couldn't answer as he hadn't been awake. And again, when he recounted how Sam had healed his injuries from his ill-fated trip in the river, the Nox asked specific questions. This time he could answer a few more, as he'd been awake at the beginning of the healing process. He could tell them about the green glow, and the warm feeling in his chest. And he described Sam's gradual recovery over the next week to ten days.

When it came to their experiments with the Stargate, he booted up the laptop and showed them Sam's summary log, the data files and photo sequences. He let them read Sam's more detailed accounts of her experiences and increasing control over the images and objects when connected to the 'Gate. He interspersed his own observations and experiences. The two Nox and one Asgard asked the occasional question, but mostly absorbed the information quietly.

- - - -

After Jack was finished recounting the salient points that he could remember, Thor beamed another biopod into the room and proceeded to run scans on each of the five humans in succession. When pressed, the Asgard stated that Jack's medical information would be compared with Sam's and then both Sam and Jack's would be compared to that of the other four as well as known Tauri and Jaffa norms.

The Asgard and the Nox also questioned Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey regarding their experiences over the past four and a half months. When all of the data was collected, the Asgard and the two Nox perused the mass of information while the humans picked at a meal of cold rations.

Finally, the three aliens rejoined the SGC personnel. "General O'Neill," Anteaus addressed Jack.

"Can you heal her?" Jack asked directly.

"We can, perhaps, help," the Nox replied obliquely, and then clarified slightly with, "However, it is most likely that only the members of SG-1 or Colonel Carter's close family members will have the most success assisting with her recovery."

"Uh… what does that mean?" Daniel asked carefully.

And here Anteaus deferred to Thor and the Asgard replied, "General O'Neill and Colonel Carter accessed a portion of the Stargate system not previously accessed by humans such as the Tauri. In fact, few Asgard have ever been able to access the individual interface controls."

"Yeah, we sorta keep doing that type of thing… going where you folks all think we can't," Jack replied sarcastically. He was oh-so-tired of the so-called 'older and more advance races' telling the people of Earth how primitive they were. Usually the Asgard were more reserved and diplomatic about those types of comments. Or, at least Thor usually was.

"I did not mean to imply an insult, O'Neill," Thor replied calmly.

"Yeah, well…," Jack sent back dismissively.

The small grey alien returned to his explanation, "The Stargate's individual interface controls are controlled by the user's mind. Those who are usually able to access the interface tend to be the individuals who are gifted with an innate understanding of the natural forces and fabric of the universe and its phenomena."

"Well, three guesses as to who you just described," Jack returned.

"Colonel Carter is definitely one of the most gifted of the Tauri in her understanding and comprehension of the physical sciences. However, that in and of itself was not enough," Thor continued. "The naquadah in her blood helped amplify and channel her control and the native diet on the planet supplied several key elements and organic molecules in higher levels than the normal Tauri diet."

"The planet's location in space is also important," Anteaus added. "Access is easier where the two realms are closer and/or the dimensional-fabric between them is weaker."

"What?" Jennifer asked with both eyebrows raised.

"It is difficult to explain interdimensional physics in the current language of the Tauri," Thor apologized.

"Our homeworld is in such a favorable spatial location," Anteaus continued. "We believe it is one of the reasons that we can access the dimensions that we do so easily."

"Aside from these physical factors, each member of SG-1 also provided something that combined together to yield the final results," Lya supplied.

At their quizzical looks, Anteaus picked up the explanation, "Each of you is connected to the other. We are all connected to those close to us. These connections vary in strength, intensity and potential."

"How very… Buddha..ish…," Jack returned slowly and skeptically.

Lya smiled, "Thor has prepared an illustration," and she turned to the Asgard and nodded.

A viewscreen in the opposite wall lit up to show four lighted icons at the corners of a square. Thor explained, "Going clockwise, the red oval represents O'Neill, the yellow one represents Colonel Carter, the green one is Doctor Jackson and the blue one is Teal'c.

Next, six colored lines appeared between the four symbols, forming the sides of a square with anX through the middle.

The sides of the square were  
…an orange line between Jack and Sam.  
…a purple line between Jack and Teal'c,  
…a blue-green line between Teal'c and Daniel  
…a yellow-green line between Sam and Daniel  
And the diagonals were  
…a brown line between Daniel and Jack  
…a green line between Sam and Teal'c.

"We are all connected to those around us," Anteaus repeated his earlier statement and then added, "However, the bonds between the members of SG-1 are particularly strong and unique. Each of you has attributes and events in your lives that have added to your distinctive abilities."

"Doctor Jackson has Ascended…and descended…, he exchanged consciousnesses with the alien Ma'chello, and he has shared his mind with a dozen trapped Ardenan souls," Lya commented and Daniel's cheeks flushed lightly.

"Teal'c has achieved a very high level of Kel'nor'reem, and is one of very, very few Jaffa to ever survive the Rite of Mal Sharran," Anteaus added.

"O'Neill has possessed the knowledge of the Ancients on two different occasions, and has had symbiotes on at least two other occasions," Lya supplied.

"Colonel Carter had the symbiote Jolinar die while inside of her, she was possessed by the organism that you refer to as The Entity, and she shared consciousnesses with the Ascended Orlin," Anteaus listed.

"We do realize that these are just some of the highlights of what the members of SG-1 have experienced over the past many years," Lya serenely added.

"The ultimate result, however, is that each of you is individually unique and in the possession of special talents and abilities," Anteaus summarized.

"General O'Neill has operated the technology of the Ancients, as against the Replicators," Lya provided an example.

"Colonel Carter has operated Goa'uld technology such as the healing and hand devices," Anteaus took his turn.

"Doctor Jackson has accessed some of his memories from his time as one of the Ascended," Lya spoke calmly.

"And Teal'c has recently achieved the highest level of Kel'nor'reem before one begins the process of Ascending," Anteaus proclaimed the first thing that neither Jack nor Daniel was aware of. The two men of SG-1 turned and studied the Jaffa questioningly.

"Were you thinking of telling us before you went all glowy?" Jack asked with raised eyebrows.

"I am many years from such a goal, O'Neill," Teal'c returned solemnly.

"Ah. Well, … I guess it's ok then…," Jack returned but then couldn't help adding, "But you'd better at least let us give you a going away party or something."

The Jaffa simply quirked an eyebrow at him and did not reply.

Turning back to the Asgard and the Nox, Jack commented, "OK, that's a real colorful diagram up there, and I think we all get the point that the past several years have had some pretty unusual effects on us all – but what does it have to do with helping Sam?"

"Colonel Carter was learning to control the interface through repeated experimentation. While this is scientific, it is also highly dangerous. Historically, the first explorers into new realms die because the true dangers can not yet be fathomed," and here Daniel, Doctor Rider and Lt. Hailey were all nodding their understanding.

"Samantha's natural talents and abilities allowed her to progress much further than most could ever hope to achieve without proper instructions or guidance; however, the interdimensional energies captured and controlled by the Stargate are immense and it is most likely that she would have eventually suffered brain damage or simply lost her ability to relate with the physical world," Lya explained.

"You mean she would have gone insane?" Doctor Rider asked with a grimace.

"In your vocabulary, yes, she could have gone insane," Thor answered solemnly. Several of the SGC personnel winced and Jack looked over at the silent figure in the biopod.

"O'Neill's experience with the technology of the Ancients provided Samantha with a stabilizing factor which allowed her to achieve a higher degree of control much sooner than she would have otherwise attained through simple repeated attempts," Lya continued the explanation.

"I didn't have a clue what I was doing, but Sam seemed to pick up on the controls," Jack commented while not taking his eyes off of her.

"Yes, from your descriptions and her journal entries, the two of you achieved an amazing degree of control in a very short time," Anteaus remarked and Jack just shrugged but didn't say anything.

"What you didn't have, however, was a reference point," Thor accurately identified their main problem. "You did not have a starting point or a map to guide your explorations."

Jack simply nodded silently, unable to disagree.

"Doctor Jackson and Teal'c supplied the direction that you needed," Lya smiled at the two men, who looked at each other questioningly.

"I don't…," Daniel started to comment while thinking back over the past several months.

"It was nothing that you did consciously, Doctor Jackson," Lya assured the archeologist.

"Ah," was all that Daniel could manage.

"When you transited a wormhole at the same time that Jack and Samantha were operating the Stargate interface, the connection between the four of you gave them direction. You would have felt the effects as disorientation, while they felt the effects as an apparent loss of control over the direction of their exploring wormhole," Lya expanded the explanation.

"And the last time, we actually connected," Jack stated as the images of that last 'Gate session ran through his mind.

"Actually, you commandeered the outgoing wormhole from the Earth's SGC," Thor corrected and several Tauri eyebrows went up.

"Commandeered?" Jennifer Hailey questioned as she attempted to understand the physics involved.

"Yes, the SGC had established a wormhole to another planet," Thor began and Lt. Hailey supplied, "P0X-628," and then Thor continued, "and General O'Neill and Colonel Carter diverted you while in transit."

"Diverted?" Hailey echoed as she ran through the possibilities and ramifications.

"It _was_ one heck of a ride," Dragon remarked dryly.

"Only your unique histories and experiences coupled with the connections between the four of you allowed you to find each other within the realm that the wormholes must travel. It is highly unlikely that any other group of individuals would be able to repeat your experience," Anteaus continued.

"OK, not to sound ungrateful for all of your time and…explanation, but how is all of this going to help Sam?" Jack tried once more to get back on topic.

"Her mind is lost in the interdimensional realm traversed by the wormholes. We could not reach her, but you may be able to," Lya returned empathetically.

"Because of our… connections with her?" Daniel asked and the Nox nodded quietly.

"So what do we do?" Jack asked again and the two Nox smiled gently at him.

- - -

_TBC_

- - -

* * *

- - - 

Author's Notes:  
As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)  
_Episode 107, 'The Nox', transcript by Lauren Freeman  
__Episode 217, 'Holiday', transcript by AQ  
__Episode 502, 'Threshold', transcript by AQ_

And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website  
_Episode 207: Message In A Bottle  
__Episode 217: Holiday  
__Episode 706: Lifeboat  
__Episode 744: Orpheus_

- - -


	63. Defining Reality

- - -

**Ch 63: DEFINING REALITY**

- - -

Images swam before her.

Indistinct, fuzzy and fluid.

And with them a sense of recognition.  
A sense of familiarity.

She relaxed her mind and the images quickly solidified and sharpened.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She was flying a small, two-seat fixed-wing plane with her father as copilot.  
She was sixteen – and having the time of her life.  
They soared above the countryside on a day made for flying.  
Clear skies and light winds.

She glanced over at her father and he sent her a smile and a waggle of his eyebrows before turning his gaze back to the vista below.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Wormholes, black holes, time-warps, sunspots… three-dimensional images danced slowly around her. She moved them and transformed them with her very thoughts. Pondering the laws of physics, the dimensions of space-time, and the mathematical equations. And with that thought space itself became her chalkboard as she worked through the equations necessary to describe the astronomical phenomena she'd encountered over the years. Numbers, symbols and equations floated above and behind her multi-dimensional models and images.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SG-1 was strung out in a line. Trekking through a forest on a newly discovered planet. One more of the gate addresses that they were methodically exploring. Teal'c had point, Colonel O'Neill was second in line and Daniel was third. She was bringing up the rear… covering their sixes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She flew amongst the asteroids. Dipping, dodging, diving, twisting and spinning. The laws of physics were no longer a fatal concern. If she 'hit' an asteroid, she'd just fly through it. No harm, no foul… at least not in _this_ space-time. Wherever this was.

The Earth's Moon appeared on the X-302's control panel and she flew straight towards it. Swooping down over its dry, barren surface, she skimmed over the craters of the lunar highlands. Slowing to watch the scattered light sparkle off of the broken lunar regolith. Searching for landmarks, she identified the flood basalts of Mare Imbrium and then Kepler Crater and Copernicus Crater. Circling she flew over them lazily and then headed over to Mare Tranquilitatus, the Sea of Tranquility, where Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had landed.

Next, she looped around to the far-side of the moon. That side that was never seen from earth-based telescopes. She studied the classic shapes of the countless impact craters. The typical crater rims, the impact rays and the small raised areas in the centers of the crater floors.

She imagined bouncing over the powdery, shattered lunar surface.  
And then she was there.  
In a suit not unlike that of the Apollo astronauts.

She couldn't restrain a full-blown smile at the freedom of one-sixth gravity. She bounced and strode in long lazy strides that floated above the ground. She traversed a crater floor and inspected the central peak, and then bounced slowly over to the other side of the crater. Climbing up the loose lunar detritus, she worked up a sweat and she could hear her deep breaths echoing inside her helmet.

And then she reached the rim. The view was breathtaking. The stark, grey lunar surface sparkled with scattered and reflected light. The stars above shone brilliantly against the deep black of space.

She sat on the edge of the crater rim and allowed the sheer splendor to engulf her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - -

TBC

- - -


	64. Seeking

"_Her mind is lost in the interdimensional realm traversed by the wormholes. We could not reach her, but you may be able to," Lya returned empathetically._

"_Because of our… connections with her?" Daniel asked and the Nox nodded quietly._

"_So what do we do?" Jack asked again and the two Nox smiled gently at him._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 64: SEEKING**

- - -

"We will provide the conduit for one of you to search for her," Lya replied in her soft, soothing tones.

"Where do you want me?" Jack returned with determination and Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a quiet look which did not go unnoticed by the military officer. "Look, I'm the one who's been in there with her on those 'Gate sessions… I know what she… feels like…"

Daniel and Teal'c both raised their eyebrows at that, but it was Daniel who dared to say it, "What she _feels_ like?"

Jack grimaced and sucked his breath in between his teeth, "I don't know how else to describe it…but when we were connected to the 'Gate… I could feel her there with me… there was this warmth, that I just knew was her," and he elaborated a bit on what he'd told them earlier about the 'Gate sessions. "And we could… sort of talk… to each other… in our minds…," and he took a breath here, "just feelings, intentions, simple questions… but we could definitely talk to each other." And now the two Nox were nodding with understanding while the other three Tauri looked politely dubious, Thor looked impassive and Teal'c looked curious.

"General O'Neill is correct," Anteaus spoke quietly, "His connection with Colonel Carter promises the highest chances of success. The connections between each of you is different, and the bond between O'Neill and Carter has grown and developed through the events of the recent past."

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged another look and then Teal'c nodded his agreement silently while Daniel spoke verbally, "OK, Jack goes first," the archeologist granted.

That hurdle passed, Jack turned back to the Asgard and the Nox, "So what do I do?"

"If you would lie down in the biopod," and Thor waved an arm towards the empty pod, "We will attend to the preparations."

Jack took one last look at Sam's placid face and then slid into the waiting pod. He stared upwards impatiently as Thor ran some baseline scans and measurements of Jack's current biosigns. In the meantime, Anteaus and Lya positioned themselves between the two pods. With their backs touching, Anteaus stood facing Jack and Lya faced Sam.

"You may begin when you are ready," Thor informed the Nox who nodded silently.

With their backs touching, Anteaus raised his arms and crossed them at the wrists over Jack's chest while Lya did the same over Sam. "General O'Neill, if you will close your eyes and relax…," and Jack did as he was told… at least the closed eye part… the relaxing part was more difficult to command…, "We will take you to the realm where Samantha's consciousness currently travels… you will have to seek her out and bring her back… we will await your return…"

Sighing at what he would normally classify as metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, Jack tried to relax… concentrating on searching out that feeling of her. Reaching out for that sensation of warmth that he knew was her.

- - - - - -

Daniel, Teal'c, Dragon and Jennifer watched silently as the solid forms of the two Nox wavered and became translucent. And then so did Jack's and Sam's. Thor monitored his readings carefully, but did not interrupt.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Amorphous forms wavered fluidly inJack's mind. He recognized the rippling movement and then the images started to solidify and stabilize. The two familiar planes stretched out before him. Parallel to each other and canted askew to his current orientation. He slowly righted himself, placing one plane below his mental 'feet' and one above his 'head'. Giving himself an 'up' and a 'down'.

He looked around for the glowing thread of the wormhole, but could see no sign of it. He slowly turned 360 degrees, his eyes straining into the distance. But that shining white ribbon was nowhere to be seen.

He strained to pick up the distant stars visible in the narrow window between the two now-static planes. Faint pinpricks of light shone back wanly.

Again, he slowly turned a full 360 degrees, searching for anything… for any sign of her. But he saw nothing else. Just the two planes and the distant stars.

'Search within yourself,' softly spoken as if on a gentle breeze, and he knew that it came from Lya.

And knowing instinctively what the Nox meant, Jack felt for Sam again. Searching for that feeling of her presence as he turned slowly around again, letting his eyes travel over the endless vista.

And then his slow rotation stopped.  
Of its own accord.  
And he felt a soft gentle pull.

His eyes saw nothing but the endless plain below and the endless plain above, but he moved slowly with the pull, allowing it to tow him along.

The iridescent fibers of light caught and refracted the rainbow of colors back at him. Slowly streaming past, time passed indefinitely.

And then he felt it. A fuzzy warmth that he knew was her.  
'Sam?' he tried.  
But only silence answered him.

And then his movement slowed and a distortion in the plane above caught his eyes. He scanned the upper surface as it slid slowly towards him. The parallel fibers were distorted… there was… a tear in the glimmering surface. The opening between the torn edges was clouded with a rippling curtain comprised of a shifting milieu of colors, not unlike the shimmering of a multi-colored event horizon.

He reached out for her… and felt her warmth again.  
She was in there.

He studied the shimmering curtain.  
'Sam?' he tried again.  
Silence answered him.

But he could still feel her.  
And that magnetic pull was tugging him towards the shimmering puddle.

He scanned the area around him carefully.  
Assessing the situation.  
The two planes.  
The view of the stars in the distance.

He reached out to check and feel for the connection back to the Nox.  
And it was there… but faint. So very faint.  
Just a mere soft breath in the distance.

He focused on the shimmering surface again. And he knew with certainty that when he went through, he would lose the connection back to the patient Nox… he would lose the connection back to his normal physical realm.

His gaze slid over the wavering pool. His objective was simple: 1) Go in, 2) Find her, 3) Lead her back through to here, 4) Return to their normal space.

So simple to state, and yet there was so much that he had no clue how to accomplish. Just for starters, he knew that she was beyond this shimmering curtain, but he had no clue what he would find, or how he would get them back.

Would he be able to reorient himself when he returned to this point?  
Would he be able to feel that oh-so-faint distant presence from the Nox?  
Or would he simply become lost in here, just as she was?

He had no way of knowing the answers to these questions.

Carefully, he focused on that feeling in the distance that he knew was the Nox.  
Trying to let them know what he was about to do.  
But the connection was too faint, too thin.  
He couldn't communicate with them… he could just barely feel them in the distance.

Resolute however, he turned back to the gently rippling surface.  
There was never any doubt in his mind about where he was going next.

- - -

* * *

- - - 

_TBC_

- - -


	65. Together

_Or would he simply become lost in here, just as she was?_

_Resolute however, he turned back to the gently rippling surface.  
There was never any doubt in his mind about where he was going next._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 65: TOGETHER**

- - -

An hour and a half passed while Daniel, Teal'c, Dragon and Jennifer watched the quiet shimmering tableau. Three of them eventually found places to sit and watch quietly, while Teal'c maintained his solid stance a few feet away from the biopods. Thor stood quietly and uncomplainingly behind his console, only moving his hands occasionally as he worked the display of readouts on the panel before him.

And then the forms of both Jack and Sam returned to a normal-looking opaque solidity. Moments later, the forms of both Anteaus and Lya also lost their translucence and the two Nox resumed solid form.

Anteaus wavered slightly and Lya steadied him as the Tauri watched their friends carefully. Neither Jack nor Sam was moving. Daniel stepped over next to Sam while Teal'c stepped over next to Jack. Both prone officers appeared to be simply asleep.

Daniel looked questioningly at Lya and Anteaus. Lya gave the archeologist a wan, apologetic smile, "General O'Neill has joined Colonel Carter. Their connection is strong."

"Unfortunately, we lost our ability to communicate with him," Anteaus added.

"So, Jack's with Sam?" Daniel asked for confirmation and the two Nox nodded.

"Of that we are certain. He searched for only a short time before sensing her. After he joined her, we were unable to reach him, although we tried for some time. We could feel his presence, just as we can feel hers, but something is preventing us from communicating with them," Anteaus explained.

"It is possible that they do not want to return," Lya proposed softly and the four humans displayed various shades of incredulity and curiosity while turning to scrutinize the two quiet forms on the biopods.

"Why would they not want to return?" Teal'c asked with his carefully measured tones and a slight tilt of his head.

"The realm where their minds currently reside allows a level of sharing and discovery that normal corporeal humanoids do not experience," Lya answered with an apologetic smile.

"Kind of like Sam and Orlin did?" Daniel asked as his eyes scanned the motionless faces of his two prone friends.

"Yes, in some ways the experience would be similar to that which Samantha experienced with the Ancient Orlin," Anteaus confirmed.

"How long can they stay like this?" Dr. Rider asked a concrete and critical question.

Instead of answering directly, Anteaus replied with, "The longer that their minds reside apart from their physical bodies, the weaker their links between the two realms will become. Eventually, they will not be able to return to this realm, and their corporeal bodies will cease to function."

And that silenced the room quite effectively.

Thor calmly spoke into the silence, "I have been monitoring their vital signs continuously, and my calculations project that General O'Neill will lose his link with this space-time in approximately 98 of your Earth-based hours, while Colonel Carter will lose her link in approximately 43 Earth-hours."

And now the silence was deafening. The two Nox watched compassionately as the four humans struggled to assimilate the new data.

- - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - -

Bone-rumbling vibrations…  
Jouncing, jarring motions…  
Ground, trees and sky whipped by.

Up! They shot up and then dove down the other side of the muddy mogul. Sam slewed the bike around the hairpin curve and then gunned the engine at the next small hill.

Mud rooster-tailed behind the bike as the tires churned for traction.  
Her legs and feet expertly balanced or extended where necessary.

He was riding double with her and had his arms wrapped around her waist and his feet clamped to the foot-pins.

They bounced and flew and skidded around the track.  
Mud flew, they slid, but then she pulled it back under control.

She took the next set of hillocks even faster and they flew completely over the center hill to land on the downslope side of the far hummock.

Jack just held on, completely enjoying the ride, the adrenaline rush, and being with her.

- - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - -

And then it changed.

Weird three-dimensional objects floated and streamed around him. Strange shapes that morphed and merged and split apart, only to contort into something entirely different.

And then he saw symbols…some were familiar… standard letters and numbers… some he recognized as Greek letters… and then he realized that these were formulas and equations…

Jack watched the mathematics shift, float and mutate… a three-dimensional blackboard… and he knew that he was watching her mind work through those sciences that she adept at.

He concentrated on feeling her. That familiar warmth was there, but something was different. He relaxed and compared what he was feeling now with what he remembered from their many sessions with the 'Gate connection.

- - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - -

She felt a gentle buzzing in her mind…  
…a background fizzing…

Her heart ached for what she had lost and she reached for something on which to focus her mind, something that would keep her from falling back into that oppressive abyss of loneliness and despair.

- - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - -

They were flying the X-302 around Io and Europa…two of Jupiter's moons. Swooping in long, graceful curves over the sulfurous volcanoes of Io and then contrasting that with the cracked, icy surface of Europa.

The wonderful freedom of flying lifted her soul, but she could still feel that background electrical fizzing that she identified so deeply with... him.

- - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

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And suddenly Jack was back in the clearing around the Stargate on P8X-539. Sam was sitting on the stone steps watching him silently. He looked around and saw no evidence of Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider or Lt. Hailey. Their makeshift shelter covered the DHD and the rest of the clearing was quiet, and just as it had been for their four and a half month stay on the planet.

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_TBC_

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Author's Note: Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed! :)

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	66. Comprehension

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_Author's note: To all readers, I thank you so much for following this story through the previous 65 chapters! This story wove itself into an epic that I hope is interlaced with the Stargate universe in a credible fashion._

_Serious shipping lies ahead, so all non-shippers are advised to disembark before we set sail. :) My original premise was a Sam/Jack storyline that would take them beyond the UST (unresolved sexual tension) canon by using the fabric and palette of Stargate science fiction. I haven't written much beyond UST in my other stories, so this was a new experience for me. What's coming up, is definitely beyond UST… but also stays within the story's PG-13 rating._

_So… all shippers aboard? All non-shippers back on land? Allrighty then, the anchor has been raised, the longshoremen have released the mooring lines, and it's time to shove off!_

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And suddenly Jack was back in the clearing around the Stargate on P8X-539. Sam was sitting on the stone steps watching him silently. He looked around and saw no evidence of Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider or Lt. Hailey. Their makeshift shelter covered the DHD and the rest of the clearing was quiet, and just as it had been for their four and a half month stay on the planet.

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**Ch 66: COMPREHENSION **

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Bringing his eyes back to her, he walked over slowly and sat down next to her.

'Hi,' he finally broached the quiet.

'Hi,' she sent back with a small, shy smile.

'That was… fun….,' and he gave her an answering smile.

Her face colored as she blushed softly and then she met his eyes squarely, 'You… feel… real...,' but she spoke tentatively, sounding as if she was afraid that he was going to melt away before her eyes.

He quirked a smile, 'I am most definitely real,' he assured her.

She looked back at him intently and then looked away. 'Almost everything here _feels_ real,' she pointed out and then brought her eyes back to his, 'but… I can feel that… fizzing that I know is you…,' and she studied the depths of his eyes for information.

He smiled gently, 'That's me, fizzing away like the Alka-Seltzer of your life,' and for that attempt, he was rewarded by one of those small smiles that she could never quite squash when he came up with his bad jokes.

'That sounds like you,' she agreed and let her smile grow a little more, but then the smile disappeared and she closed her eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to spill forth, 'But I've imagined you before,' she admitted, thinking back to the Prometheus.

He slid closer to her and slightly behind her and then pulled her into his arms, with her back to his chest. 'You're not alone,' he reassured her again as he wrapped his arms around her and held her.

'Where are we?' she changed the subject.

'Oooo… I am sooo not the best person to explain that,' he prefaced with and felt her amusement ripple through him and he smiled softly.

'Just think about it,' she prompted.

'Well, our bodies are on Thor's ship,' he started with the concrete and felt her surprise.

'Thor?' she couldn't help asking.

'Yeah, he came by to give us a lift after Danny, T, Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey found us,' he elaborated.

'They found us?" she questioned.

'Well, sort of… although I think it was actually mutual,' he amended and could feel her perplexity. 'That last session with the 'Gate… when we were pulled to that other wormhole…?' and he waited for her reaction.

And then he saw the memories as they came to her… the inexorable pull across time and space to that graceful blue tunnel. 'That was a wormhole from Earth?' she was quickly putting the pieces together.

'Mmhm,' he confirmed, 'And Danny and T and the others were on their way to check out some volcano-planet P-something-something-,'

And she interjected and he saw the memories with her again, 'And we connected our wormhole to theirs…,' and he could feel the awe in her voice at what they'd done.

This time she saw his memories of what happened as he couldn't stop them from playing through his mind…. his memories of the sensations of being wrenched away from her and then… darkness followed by vertigo and nausea. He felt her concern and escalating worry over his well-being. 'I'm ok,' he reassured her and then he swiftly moved through images of what happened after he woke up alongside her next to the 'Gate.

He could feel her mind absorbing and analyzing the new information. 'I could have killed them… and you…,' she stated starkly and with deep remorse.

'Sam,' he spoke clearly to get her attention, 'Everyone is fine – everyone but you, and we're working on getting you back,' he qualified.

But her self-recriminations were not so easily swayed, and then she surprised him by chuckling darkly while shaking her head, 'Rodney McKay would have a field day with this,' she commented wryly.

'What would that geek have to do with any of this?' he couldn't help asking in surprise and then watched as she shared some select memories with him.

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_McKay:_ "Well, with all due respect Major, you spend most of your time in the field."

_Hammond:_ "Major Carter spent two years working on the Gate prior to her five years of service at the SGC. She's the one who made this program viable."

_McKay:_ "Actually the interface she designed is full of flaws."

_Sam:_ "Well I admit it's not perfect but it's…"

_McKay: "_It has caused numerous unnecessary situations any of which could have ended in catastrophe."

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_McKay: "_The Gate wasn't meant to be used without a dialing device. Your computer system ignores 220 of the 400 feedback signals the Gate can emit during any given dialing sequence. It is a fluke that you picked up the buffer warning, for that matter, I'm surprised that you even bothered to abort the dialing sequence despite the error."

_Sam:_ "What is that supposed to mean?"

_McKay:_ "I've read the reports Major. You've ignored error data and bypassed dialing protocols on several occasions to get a lock."

_Sam:_ "My job is to present the risks not to decide whether to take them. Now if you have something positive to add, do it. Otherwise, get out of my lab."

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_Hammond:_ "Major?"

_Sam:_ "Well theoretically…"

_McKay:_ "Are you insane? He's a Goa'uld. He wants you to destroy yourself. If you remove the master control crystal there's nothing to regulate the energy distribution. You get straight current flowing the wrong conduit. The whole Gate could explode."

_Jack:_ "That true?"

_Sam:_ "Well technically it's possible sir, the Gate's a very powerful superconductor. But we could take steps to ensure the…"

_McKay:_ "You are a certifiable whack job, you know that? And you're no better if you listen to her. Her judgment is being clouded by her personal feelings. Teal'c is toast, he's history."

_Sam:_ "Sir, I think that we could make sure that the risk was very small."

_McKay:_ "You try this harebrained scheme and you blow yourself up for nothing. No way I'm hanging around for that."

_Hammond:_ "Your plane leaves for Russia in an hour."

_McKay:_ "Russia?"

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'We didn't blow up,' Jack pointed out, but she quickly sent him another short set of memories.

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_Jack walks in to find Sam working alone in her lab._

_Jack:_ "Hey, how come you're not downstairs with the rest of the eggheads? Not that you're...an egghead..."

_Sam looks at him._

_Jack:_ "Well, you are...actually...but in a good way."

_Sam:_ " I couldn't think down there...they all kept looking at me for the answer."

_Jack:_ "Well, you do have a penchant for pulling brilliant ideas out of your butt."

_Sam gives him a more incredulous look_.

_Jack: _"Head...out of your head...when we need them."

_Sam: _"Not this time."

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'I was kind of hoping you'd forget that over time,' and he sent her an apologetic grimace.

'It's a little difficult to forget,' she returned, 'Especially when you and McKay were right.'

'Don't go putting me together with that self-centered geek – not even in the same sentence,' he objected.

'Still, you were right… a lot of my ideas are…just that - ideas… I get these… ideas… but I don't have facts or data to back them up…,' and he could feel her regret and remorse.

'Sam,' and then he paused, 'Here's the deal… we've been exploring… and you haven't been allowed to get all the data and trial runs that would allow the safer and more cautious approach.'

She couldn't deny that, but he could feel that she wasn't ready to let go of her self-flagellation. Silence passed between them for a few moments.

'I could have killed you all,' and he heard her voice as a whisper and then saw the images again of their glowing white wormhole as it connected to the blue ribbon. The flash of light and rippling of energy as he was blown away from her and their blue and orange-white ribbons merged and became one.

He felt the tumult of the passage of their four colleagues, although she hadn't known what it was at the time. He felt her consciousness shake as she held the connection until she passed out.

'Great exploration entails great risk,' he attempted.

But she returned sourly with 'Great explorers usually die… and usually take others with them,' and it was the last part that was grating against her conscience.

'I wouldn't have allowed you to do it alone if it was possible for me to help,' he pointed out, and then continued, 'Nor would Daniel or Teal'c,' and they both knew that she couldn't refute that.

'Even if I allow that,' she stated, 'I can't excuse the danger that I created for Doctor Rider and Jennifer Hailey.'

'Both of them volunteered, Sam,' Jack clarified. 'And neither of them has complained or made any accusations. Sam, they understand the unique position that we are all in… we're on the frontier of human exploration… there's danger and risk every time we go through the Stargate… none of us is expecting a safe, protected life.'

He felt her heavy sigh, but she didn't reply in any other way. He could feel her thoughts stewing around.

'To be honest, I'm proud of you,' he put it out there and waited. Puzzlement came from her and then the mental equivalent of eye-rolling as she started to dismiss his claim. 'I meant it, Sam. I'm proud of you. You actually controlled the Stargate – _with your mind!_ According the Thor and the Nox, there are very few who can do that.'

'I couldn't do it alone,' she wouldn't take all of the credit for herself – and then immediately saw the trap.

'Exactly,' he answered triumphantly. 'And you can't have all the blame for yourself either,' he concluded. And then he could have sworn he felt the mental equivalent of a gently indignant 'harumph,' and that only made him smile a little wider.

'Anteaus, Lya and Thor said that it took all four of us to make it happen… that we are all connected in unique ways… from the unique events of our lives… connected in ways that allowed us to 'feel' each other here in this… space… wherever this is…,' he attempted to explain again.

'But I-,' she started and he interrupted with, 'You were you… and I was right there with you Madam Magellan.'

'He died exploring the Philippines,' she returned cynically.

'You're going to shoot down Earhart, Curie and just about anyone else I can come up with aren't you?' he responded with affectionate frustration.

'Only if all of your examples are of people who died in the pursuit of their explorations,' she qualified.

Quickly acknowledging that he didn't know as much scientific history as she did, he shrewdly decided to change the direction of the conversation. 'This is all McKay's fault,' he asserted.

Startled in spite of the fact that she could feel his intentions, 'How is this his fault?'

'Look at what happened… you mention that arrogant geek and we end up talking about old dead people,' and he could feel her amusement at his turn of words.

'He actually turned out to not be so… horrible…,' she admitted.

'Yeah, as I understand it, he finally admitted that he thought you were a genius-,' he started but was interrupted by memories she couldn't stop.

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A nurse bandages Sam's hand as McKay enters.

_McKay:_ (Nervously) "Hi."

_Sam:_ (in a hospital gown ...) "Oh, Man! I was just starting to feel better!"

_McKay:_ (Sits on the bed across from the one she's sitting on) "Are you gonna be OK?"

_Sam:_ "At least until the gate explodes, yeah."

_McKay: "_Look, I ne ... I never meant for anyone to get hurt ... much less you."

_Sam:_ "It's OK. We had to try something."

_McKay:_ (takes a deep breath, appearing to be relaxing) 'I always wanted to be a pianist."

_Sam:_ "Excuse me?"

_McKay:_ "A concert pianist --- you know, a guy who plays the piano (makes like he's playing the piano) in front of lots of people?"

_Sam:_ (smiles ...) "Right."

_McKay:_ "What did you think I said?"

_Sam:_ "Never mind."

_McKay:_ "I had a not-so-comfortable childhood. My parents hated each other, blamed me. Music was my salvation. It had this ... perfect order for me."

_Sam: _(Smiles) "That's nice, really."

_McKay: "_When I was 12, my teacher told me to quit. A fine clinical player, he said, but no sense of the art whatsoever."

_Sam:_ "Why are you telling me this?"

_McKay:_ "I'm just ... trying to bond."

_Sam:_ "Why?"

_McKay:_ "Hospital gowns turn me on." (Smiles) "I turned to science because I thought it would be different than music, but it isn't. It's just the same, it's just as much of an art as anything else."

_Sam:_ "Look, it's not your fault that the EM pulse didn't work."

_McKay: "_You're an artist, Major. Maybe the best I've ever seen. I'm just critical because I'm jealous."

_Sam:_ "I'm touched, really. I wish I had a brilliant plan to draw up for you."

_McKay: "_And you're funny, too. Even electrocuted. I mean, I've ... I've got nothing."

_Sam:_ "You're creeping me out, McKay."

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'Ah, so that's how it went,' Jack commented as the images faded and he could feel her blushing again. 'Well, the geek finally got something right,' he allowed. 'You _are_ an artist when it comes to your physics and math-stuff.'

She didn't reply and he could feel her discomfort at the praise. He tightened his arms around her and felt his feelings for her wash over him. She was smart, beautiful, deeply caring... and his thoughts stopped abruptly as he realized that he was broadcasting his feelings to her.

He reached out tentatively and felt her stunned surprise. And suddenly he knew what he had to do… He relaxed and shared his feelings with her… his feelings _for_ her… He felt his love for her and let her feel it.

'Sam?' he questioned and reached out for her mentally. She was trembling and he knew that tears were falling silently down her face. He held her and said it simply, 'I love you.'

She turned in his arms and met his eyes, hers shining bright with emotion. Their lips met in a gentle kiss… one of tenderness, one of promise, one of love. It seemed to last a lifetime and yet only an instant.

As he pulled her into a hug, she opened her mind to him and he felt her feelings for him. He felt her attraction to him, he felt her admiration and respect for him, and he stopped when she allowed him to see the hero-worship… and the associated feelings that she couldn't be what he wanted or needed…

And he couldn't help the flash of anger that went through him and he felt her mentally flinch in response. He pulled away and stared into her eyes and then quirked a small grin and felt her bewilderment at his shifting emotions. 'I guess we're more alike than we realize,' he prefaced and then explained, 'because I always figured that I wasn't good enough for you.'

'Huh?' and that was simply the best interpretation that he could make of her befuddled response.

Smiling wider, he elaborated, 'Here I am…older than you…a beat-up, old soldier… and you're this young, beautiful genius…'

And he felt a little anger ripple through her at his comparisons, 'Jack, you're an intergalactic hero,' she stated.

But he interjected, 'Never wanted any of that – and I still don't.'

'That doesn't change the facts,' she stated simply.

'It should,' he countered. 'If I don't see myself that way, shouldn't that be what counts?'

She mulled that over and then came back with, 'And you're not so beat-up… or old…,' and he could feel an undercurrent of humor with her thoughts.

They sat in silence, each pondering the newly discovered revelations. And then he felt her doubts returning and he growled in frustration. He felt her wince and then she recognized the undercurrent of affection and love. "Sam, I don't feel this for anyone else,' and he let his feelings wash over her again.

Feelings of admiration, love, affection, appreciation, pride…  
…and he let her feel the truth…  
…his frustrations when she worked too hard, (she rolled her eyes)  
…or when she treated him too properly once he became a General, (and here she winced)  
…and he let her feel his jealousy as every new alien fell for her.

And she started to protest the range of his last statement, but then she stopped, 'You were jealous?' she asked with both surprise and curiosity.

'Very,' he confirmed.

'You didn't show it,' she couldn't hide her thoughts.

'Special Ops training,' he explained dryly.

'Ah,' she returned speculatively.

'Were _you_ ever… jealous?' he asked tentatively.

Silence answered him but images of Kynthia, Laira and Kerry flashed through her mind and then his before she could stop them.

'You did a good job of hiding it,' he commented.

'No, I didn't actually,' she countered and then added, 'You just weren't looking for it,' and he felt no accusation or condemnation in her tone, just a simple observation of fact.

'I was an idiot,' he stated.

'No, you were my CO, expecting his 2IC… and not…,' and she let her feelings wash over him again. He felt her warmth, her affection for him, her acceptance of who and what he was, her admiration and respect… and her hero-worship that was now tempered by the experience of four and a half months of learning who Jack O'Neill, the man, was. He felt her love and it took his breath away.

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_TBC_

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Author's Note: I highly recommend 'The Red Triangle' by T.M. Potter archived at Heliopolis. This wonderfully written fic describes the feelings the Sam and Jack have for each other in a superb exposition… exceptionally well written and with clever comments and phrasing. Sequels (in order): "For Better or For Worse", "Because You Told Me So," "No Good Deed" and "Full Fledged Strangers". All on Heliopolis and/or Gateworld.

As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)  
_Episode 514 "48 Hours", Transcript by Liz  
__Episode 601 "Redemption, part 1", Transcript by Sarae  
__Episode 602 "Redemption, part 1", Transcript by AQ_

And, credit also goes to  
-- the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website  
-- and Gateworld's Omnipedia

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	67. Stepping Stones

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_Thor calmly spoke into the silence, "I have been monitoring all of their vital signs continuously, and my calculations project that General O'Neill will lose his link with this space-time in approximately 98 of your Earth-based hours, while Colonel Carter will lose her link in approximately 43 Earth-hours."_

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**Ch 67: STEPPING STONES**

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"What can we do?" Lt. Hailey finally broke the heavy silence.

"Can I try and reach them the way that Jack tried to get Sam?" Daniel asked.

"And then what? We have three of you lying there?" Dragon countered quickly.

"The connections between you are strong," Lya nodded affirmatively, "And we shall have to be more careful in our next attempt."

"And what shall that entail?" Teal'c enquired.

The two Nox studied each other silently for a moment and then Anteaus replied, "On our next attempt, we believe that several of you should join with us at the same time."

"To form a sort of… chain… or series of links… from where the General and Colonel are, back to our connection with this space-time realm," Lya extended the explanation.

"How many of us will you require?" Teal'c asked formally.

"As many as you wish to attempt," Anteaus replied and then continued with, "We will require some time to rest and recuperate before we can begin another effort. We will retire to the quarters that Thor has provided for us," and he nodded respectfully at the Asgard, "and we will return in 14 or 15 of your Earth-based hours."

"You may tell us at that time, which of you will be participating in the next attempt to retrieve General O'Neill and Colonel Carter," Lya spoke with her ever-present gentle tones.

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The Nox and the Asgard had retired and the four Tauri stood around the two silent figures in the biopods.

"DanielJackson and I will join the Nox for the next attempt to retrieve GeneralO'Neill and ColonelCarter," Teal'c stated calmly.

But Dragon shook her head negatively, "I don't think that's such a good idea," and she looked up at the Jaffa seriously, "The four of you are too deeply connected. Both the Nox and the Asgard acknowledge and recognize the bonds between you. If the two of you go in, there's a good chance we'll lose you the same way that we lost General O'Neill."

"But we have to go _because_ we have the connection with them," Daniel pointed out. "Neither you or Jennifer would have as high a chance at sensing Jack or Sam."

And both Dragon and Jennifer were nodding their understanding, but then Lt. Hailey explained further, "Yes, but we also need someone to provide the link back to this space-time… someone who _isn't_ as connected to the General and the Colonel."

"The links in the chain," Daniel murmured as he scanned the quiet faces of his two long-time friends and then looked up at the other three. Stepping over to Thor's console, he brought up the diagram which symbolically showed the connections between the original members of SG-1. Sliding the stones around on the control board, he added two icons and then added lines between them. The resulting diagram was now two squares, stacked one on top of the other.

"Let me guess, that's Jennifer and I?" and Dragon pointed at the two new icons.

Daniel nodded with a small answering smile, "Jack and Sam are still the red and yellow icons at the top. Teal'c and I are the still the blue and green ones, but now we're in the middle, and you and Jennifer are the white and pink icons at the bottom".

The sides of the top square were still  
…an orange line between Jack and Sam.  
…a purple line between Jack and Teal'c,  
…a blue-green line between Teal'c and Daniel  
…a yellow-green line between Sam and Daniel  
And the diagonals of the top square were still  
…a brown line between Daniel and Jack  
…a green line between Sam and Teal'c.  
The sides of the bottom square were  
… a blue-green line between Teal'c and Daniel  
…a light purple line between Jennifer and Teal'c  
…a light green line between Dragon and Daniel  
…a light pink line between Jennifer and Dragon  
And the diagonals of the bottom square were  
…a light brown line between Daniel and Jennifer  
…a light blue line between Dragon and Teal'c.

"Links in a chain," Daniel mused.

"Or more like a web," Jennifer remarked and the others nodded as they contemplated the implications.

They discussed the options. Daniel and Dragon could go next, with Daniel searching for Jack and Sam and Dragon providing the link back. But both Teal'c and Jennifer felt that Daniel and Dragon made a combination that was too emotionally charged… and presented a possibility of resulting in four biopods with silent occupants.

Teal'c and Jennifer were another possible combination, and Teal'c suggested that his experience with Kel'nor'reem could provide him with additional methods for retaining the link back to this space-time.

Various combinations of three were discussed and then they examined the possibility of all four of them at once.

They had no idea how many more attempts they would be able to try. Anteaus and Lya needed a 14-15 hour rest period after the last attempt, and Thor's calculations indicated that Sam would completely lose her link to this reality in another 41-42 hours. But how long did they have until the links were too weak for their friends to follow?

They ultimately decided that all four of them gave them the highest chances of success. They could draw on Daniel's passionate, emotional connections with both Jack and Sam…and back to Dragon. They could draw on Teal'c mastery of the realm of the subconscious with Kel'nor'reem… and his connections with Jack, Sam, Daniel, Dragon and Jennifer. An addition, they could also draw on Jennifer's connection with Sam.

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The river rippled by quietly in the late afternoon sun. Jack was propped up against a tree and with his arms around Sam - who was sitting between his legs and leaning back against his chest.

'How long have we been here?' Jack asked idly as they were both getting drowsy.

'I don't know,' she admitted distractedly and then asked, 'How long was I here before you joined me?'

His brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate on absolutes instead of the abstract feelings that they'd been sharing. Memories flashed through his mind and he shared them with her. Their connection with the 'Gate… the arrival of Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider and Lt. Hailey…camp… watching her sleep… the night stars… and then Thor's ship… some discussion… and then his arrival here with her, with the help of the Nox.

'How long did the time before I came feel like, compared to the time after?'

'Forever,' she answered honestly and she couldn't stop the images and feelings of her sluggish struggle with awareness and her repeated bouts of disconnected semi-consciousness. Her pain made his heart ache and she felt his love wash over her with that undercurrent of gentle fizzing that she knew was his essence.

'I was supposed to bring you back,' his words floated softly into her mind.

'Back where?' she returned, not taking her eyes off the flickering reflections on the water.

'Back…,' and his thoughts drifted, '…somewhere… I lost the… connection…when I found you,' and she felt his mental shrug.

'They might be worried,' she stated speculatively but without fervor.

'They might,' he agreed.

'Do you want to go back?' she asked softly.

'No,' came back quickly… and then, 'Do you know how… to get back?'

'No… I don't even understand where we are or what we're doing here,' she confessed.

'Do you _want_ to go back?' he asked tentatively.

'No,' she admitted, 'I like it right here,' and they both saw themselves sitting on that riverbank with his arms around her.

'So do I.'

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"Are you well rested?" Anteaus asked the four SGC members.

"Yes, thank you," Daniel replied courteously and then asked, "Are you and Lya recovered enough for a second attempt to reach Jack and Sam?"

"Yes, and thank you for asking," Lya replied with a gracious smile.

They discussed their plan with the two Nox and the Asgard, none of whom seemed surprised at their decision for all four of them to participate in the second attempt. The three aliens confirmed the humans' suspicions that the attempts would become more and more difficult as time passed… as Sam and Jack's links with this reality waned and faded.

When they were all set and ready, Lya and Anteaus again positioned themselves between Jack and Sam. With their backs to each other, but touching, the two Nox held their arms crossed over at the wrists and over the prone officers' chests. The four SGC members waited and watched.

Just as before, the two aliens began to shimmer and then became translucent. Moments later so did Jack and Sam.

Daniel and Teal'c turned to Thor, who inspected the readings on his console and then nodded silently to the two men. Turning back, the two men stepped over between the two biopods and next to the two Nox. Remembering the directions they'd been given, they stood back to back and lifted their arms and clasped their hands around the smooth, palm-sized stones that the Nox had given them, roughly mimicking the positions of the two Nox. Finally, they stepped sideways a half-step and brought themselves into contact with the translucent, shimmering images of the two Nox.

Dragon and Jennifer watched silently as the smooth stones began to glow softly and then the images of Daniel and Teal'c began to shimmer and then became translucent.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Daniel felt an enveloping sense of security that he slowly realized was that of the Nox. Next, he identified the rock-solid serenity that had to be Teal'c.

Teal'c also felt the guiding and protecting presences that must be that of the Nox. And next, he quickly identified the passion and enthusiasm that was DanielJackson.

Slowly images appeared for the two men. Images of two endless and infinite planes. Parallel to each other and stretching into the distance. And between the two planes, both men recognized a distant field of stars. The planes did not ripple or wander as Jack had described. The view of the stars stayed static and stable.

Both men knew that the Nox were providing the control and stability that maintained the clarity and stationary aspects of what they were now experiencing.

'Search for your friends,' came gently into the minds of both men.

Teal'c allowed his familiarity with Kel'nor'reem to free his subconscious and search the new realm around him. Daniel drew upon his time with Oma Desala…before his ascension… and also with his time spent learning Kel'nor'reem with Teal'c.

The two men slowly felt the space around them. Recognizing the stable presence of the Nox, and then identifying the uniqueness that was each other.

They turned slowly and in tandem, agreeing to concentrate their efforts. Sweeping through a full 360-degrees, they noted each other and the Nox, but could not identify anything relating to Jack or Sam.

Agreeing that they needed to move further away from their starting point, the Nox provided them with a sense of which side they had come from and the two men faced directly away and scanned the space ahead.

Time passed unknowingly for the two men.  
Minutes, hours or days, they could not tell the difference.

'We must stop,' Daniel felt Teal'c's words and the two men stopped their forward motion between the two planes.

'It is time,' and again this came from Teal'c and Daniel understood. Teal'c had been maintaining a watchful eye on the strength of their connection with the two Nox. And now it was time for the next stage of their plan. The Nox understood and agreed.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Back in the 'normal' space-time, Dragon and Jennifer watched as Daniel and Teal'c joined the two Nox. Moments later the images of the two SGC men began to shimmer and waver as they too became translucent.

Forty-five minutes passed and both women were getting worried when Thor's console beeped and the Asgard signaled that it was time for the women to join the growing group between the biopods.

Following the same steps that Daniel and Teal'c had followed, Dragon and Jennifer placed themselves back to back and beside the two men. Next, they lifted their arms and clasped their hands around their own smooth, palm-sized stones and then slid sideways until they were in contact with the shimmering images of their teammates.

- - - - - - - - -

Jennifer and Dragon both felt the same comforting security from the Nox and then felt Lya's words, 'Relax, and allow the feelings and images to come to you.'

'Easier said than done,' Jennifer thought to herself and then felt an amused curiosity that she knew must be Dragon.

Dragon, on the other hand, felt the sharpness of the young officer… the sharpness of her mind and of her youthful opinions and wit.

Together the two women followed the gentle directions from the Nox and the images of the two planes and distant stars quickly took form.

'They are waiting for you,' floated gently into both women's minds and they again followed the provided guidance to locate the others of their team. Both women felt the presences of the men as the men felt the presences of the women. Together the four created that square web of links that they'd diagrammed on the Asgard screen. Feeling each other and relying on each other.

Slowly the women advanced towards the men.  
Stopping when the Nox indicated that they should go no further.

And now Daniel and Teal'c could resume their search.  
Staying together, but extending outwards in arcs of ever-increasing radius.

Again, time lost meaning for the humans.

- - - - - - -

Teal'c felt something… There.

Daniel stopped and focused on the direction that had captured the Jaffa's attention.

Something was there.  
Something… out of place…  
Something… that disturbed the otherwise placid regularity of this space.

The two men advanced slowly…  
…and then they felt a warm, gentle fizzing… very faint…almost a tickling…  
…and as it got stronger, they sensed a familiarity…  
…and their confidence grew…

A tear in the glimmering plane.  
A rippling surface similar to an event horizon spread from edge to edge.  
No gaps to see through… no gaps to see what was on the other side.

But there was no doubt that Jack and Sam were there.  
Behind that shimmering curtain."  
The two men could feel the presence of their two friends strongly.

'We need to go in,' he sent to Teal'c and felt the Jaffa's agreement.

Consulting back with Dragon and Jennifer and then to the Nox, they decided to bring Dragon up to their current position while Jennifer maintained her location and their link back. Once Dragon joined them, she studied the shimmering surface curiously and shared her observations and impressions with Jennifer.

'Be careful,' Jennifer and Dragon sent and then felt Teal'c's calm stability and Daniel's warm reassurance.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Passing easily though the shimmering surface, Daniel and Teal'c found themselves standing on the shore of a lake nestled amongst the trees.

In tandem, their eyes fell upon two motionless forms lying on the sandy beach.

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* * *

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_TBC_

- - - - -


	68. Teamwork

- - -

_Passing easily though the shimmering surface, Daniel and Teal'c found themselves standing on the shore of a lake nestled amongst the trees._

_In tandem, their eyes fell upon two motionless forms lying on the sandy beach._

- - -

* * *

- - -

**Ch 68: TEAMWORK**

- - -

Their two missing comrades were lying side by side, apparently asleep, with Jack spooned up behind Sam and one arm wrapped around her waist.

Daniel glanced at Teal'c and the Jaffa simply tilted his head marginally to the side.

And then Jack stirred and opened his eyes. Immediately taking in the new presences, he sat up, careful not to disturb Sam.

'Welcome to Jack's Lake,' he greeted the two men with a proud grin. Before either Daniel or Teal'c could reply, Sam stirred and Jack placed a hand on her arm reassuringly as she woke up.

They felt her immediate puzzlement at feeling their presences, and then they felt Jack's warm assurances overlapping her realization of who they were. A smile bloomed on her face and they both felt her pleasure and excitement at their presences.

Sam hugged them both in turn and they felt her concern and affection wash over them. She then felt the depth of the concern and worry that had maintained their perseverance in the search for their missing friends over the past four and a half months.

With Jack, they exchanged more manly hugs, accompanied with affectionate backslapping.

Eventually, the four comrades sat in a loose arc facing the water. Sam and Jack sat together, with Jack's right arm curled around her waist, holding her close. Daniel and Teal'c felt the shared feelings emanating from their comrades and acknowledged the deepening connection between their two friends.

'So… this is a beautiful place,' Daniel complimented.

'This is Jack's Lake – Sam gave it to me,' and they felt Jack's pride and Sam's amusement.

'Ah,' Daniel returned with bemusement and felt the same coming from Teal'c.

'We need to get you back,' Daniel broached what he felt they didn't want to hear… and then wasn't surprised at the feelings of disappointment that came from the two officers.

'Unfortunately, we do not have a choice,' Teal'c informed them and they felt their friends' reluctance morph to sadness.

'If we don't get back soon, we'll lose the links to our physical bodies back in our normal space,' Daniel explained apologetically.

'This is dangerous for you?' Sam asked and they could feel her quickly becoming alert and focusing on their statements and feelings.

'For all of us,' Teal'c replied calmly, but even the Jaffa could not stop the series of images and feelings that swiftly told Sam and Jack of how their friends came to be here with them.

'You shouldn't have risked your lives for ours,' Jack admonished. They also felt Sam's agreement, but then she turned it to include him as well and they felt his mental eye rolling.

Next they felt Sam's realization that all of this, and all of these people, were at risk because of her. Ultimately, this interdimensional search had all started to find her. Quickly, however, the three men countered her every feeling of guilt and self-recrimination.

They were a team.  
They came for each other.  
As they always would.

- - - - - - - - -

Jack and Sam took one last look at the peaceful lake and its surroundings.

Daniel and Teal'c moved a little ways away and averted their eyes, even if they couldn't avoid the feelings that were spilling over from the pair they'd come to rescue.

Jack turned and looked into her eyes. She gave him one of those small, shy smiles and his heart melted. She felt it and then he felt her wonder and surprise. His smile grew and she answered with feelings of love and affection that he couldn't help but reciprocate.

His love was intense, quirky, edgy, passionate and laced with a sharp wit.

Her love was softer, but no less deep or passionate, while rich with thoughtfulness and an undercurrent of humor.

'Time to head back,' and they felt their mutual reluctance. Smiling softly at each other, they took one last look at Jack's Lake and then turned to Daniel and Teal'c, 'Which way?'

Daniel and Teal'c each searched for those feelings that were so definitively Dragon and Jennifer. But… they could not feel them. They could easily feel the strong presences of the others here, but they could not feel that of either the zoologist or the young lieutenant.

Daniel eventually admitted defeat. 'I can't sense them anymore. I don't know which way we are supposed to go,' he admitted.

'I too can no longer sense Dr. Rider or Lt. Hailey,' the Jaffa's measured tones were unmistakable. 'I would like to attempt Kel'nor'reem,' he proposed and then added, 'And I believe that you should all join me.'

Varying levels of surprise and then curiosity washed through the group. Teal'c easily correlated each feeling and emotion with the person generating the sentiment.

Moments later, however, the Jaffa had them all seated on the sand and facing each other in a circle… or a square, he mentally modified. Clockwise they were Jack, Sam, Daniel and himself… just as Thor had arrayed them on his diagram.

'Interesting,' came from Sam as she absorbed the image and then flashes of the explanations and dialogues from the three men's memories. To the Nox's metaphysical explanations, she felt Daniel's curiosity and open-mindedness, she felt Teal'c's innate understanding, and she felt Jack's skepticism.

'OK, OK, so it's really Jack's Metaphysical Lake,' he sent lightheartedly and was rewarded by a warm ripple that he knew was her amusement.

'Name's a bit unwieldy,' she commented dryly.

Before he could reply to that however, Teal'c moved them back on task. 'We must prepare for Kel'nor'reem,' and then they each felt the stoic man's calm descend slowly as he concentrated on only the most basic sensations.

Each of them had experience with some level of meditation. Daniel had actually spent time with Teal'c attempting to learn the basics of Kel'nor'reem and the techniques that were similar for basic meditation. Sam had experience with basic yoga and the accompanying meditation techniques. The surprise, however, was Jack's admission that he too, had once taken a yoga class... Both Daniel and Sam started to give him a little mental ribbing about that and he had to admit that he'd taken the class because he'd thought the instructor was 'hot'…. or at least he had until he tried to contort into some of the basic yoga positions…

Teal'c assisted his comrades as they attempted to clear their minds of worry and anxiety… and to refrain from focusing on each passing thread or idea. They each felt the large man's calm and steady presence and the four minds quieted and relaxed. Thoughts passed through their minds, but did not dominate their attention.

Teal'c slowly assessed their new realm. The thoughts and presences of his three comrades were not as overwhelming as before… and he began to slowly search outwards. Sensing… feeling… reaching…

At first, the other three waited and watched quietly.  
Mentally hearing and feeling through the mind of the Jaffa.  
Sensing and probing outwards.

As the moments passed, Daniel began to actively join Teal'c's search. Adding his strength to the Jaffa's… extending their reach.

Jack watched and waited, his natural tendencies for action beginning to assert themselves. 'Should we…?' he asked softly, careful not to disturb the explorations of the other two.

And then he felt her apology, 'You can,' she urged him, and then he felt the accompanying fatigue and weakness that she couldn't hide when she made that suggestion. Next he felt her soft disgruntlement at the fact that she couldn't hide how she was feeling from him.

'Right, we're staying here,' he ended that train of dialogue and she felt a gentle wave of love and concern wash around her.

Knowing that now was neither the time nor the place for protests about her condition, she simply sent him a soft wave of appreciation in return.

'I think I've got something!' and that was definitely from Daniel. Jack and Sam focused on the sensations rippling from their friend. Anticipation, enthusiasm, optimism. And in the background, Teal'c maintained the stability and strength that the archeologist relied upon.

Daniel stretched his mind outwards. Behind him he could feel the gentle warm fizzing of the combined presences that he easily identified as Jack and Sam. Beside and slightly behind him he felt the strength and serenity that was Teal'c. Identifying those feelings and sensations, he searched outwards for anything else. For someone else.

And then he felt it again and he smiled.  
A warm, yet sharp mind.  
With a biting sense of humor.  
Worried, at the moment.

'Dragon?' he tried, but received no reply.

And then he felt Teal'c, Sam and Jack quietly join him.  
Agreeing to follow his direction.  
Trusting his senses implicitly.

Slowly he led them forward.  
Into what… he couldn't describe.  
Jack's Lake had long since disappeared.  
They moved through an all-encompassing, thick mist.  
A mist that wasn't wet or cloying.  
But a mist where they could not focus on any features.  
There were no solid objects.  
No up, no down.

Just the featureless, monotonous mist.

And Daniel's connection with Dragon.  
He could feel it more and more definitively.  
'Dragon?' he tried again and then waited.  
But there was no response.

Again, time lost meaning as they allowed their minds to follow Daniel's lead.  
Traveling endlessly through an interdimensional fog.

Jack felt it first.  
And he asked them all to stop.  
'Sam?' he asked with concern.  
'I'm fine,' came the typical answer,  
….but this time, they could all feel that she wasn't.  
She was tiring rapidly now.

Sam had been here the longest. She had been disconnected from her physical body in their normal time-space for far longer than the rest of them. And she'd also had to deal with the effects of the 'Gate connection.

'Allright, I'm as fine as I can be?' she tried and they all felt her attempt to insert a little humor into the moment.

Without words, she felt Teal'c flanking her on one side and Jack on the other. Daniel sent her warm encouragement and then refocused on his sense of direction back to Dragon.

How much time passed on this portion of their journey, they would never know, but suddenly the rippling surface appeared in front of them… appearing to float ethereally in the mist.

'Sam?' Jack queried and the other two men shared his concern. Each of the men could feel each other strongly, but their feelings of Sam were becoming muted.

'Mmm?' came the fuzzy response, and they knew that they didn't have much more time.

'Sam!' Jack sent more forcefully and then felt her struggling to focus on him. 'Sam, we have to go through,' and all three men helped her focus on the image of the shimmering surface.

They could tell, however, that she couldn't focus on it… that she was losing the connection with them. She was trying to focus on the image before them, but she was too exhausted.

'Sam,' Jack pulled her attention away from the blurriness that she was struggling with.

'Mmm?' she sent back again, her thoughts foggy and unclear.  
She was acting on sheer instinct and momentum.

'Follow me,' he sent clearly … and then felt her simple assent.  
She trusted him implicitly and without question.  
She didn't need to think about trusting him.

'Together,' he sent to Daniel and Teal'c and felt their immediate understanding, and then the four of them slipped through the shimmering surface.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Dragon felt them coming closer and alerted Jennifer who passed the message on to the waiting Nox. The zoologist recognized the bright curiosity and enthusiasm that was Daniel and the unruffled solid presence that was Teal'c… and then she identified other..s? It was difficult to separate and identify the remaining feelings…

And then they were there. With her.

'Good to have you back,' she greeted them warmly and felt Daniel's immediate pleasure at her presence. Teal'c's strong serene presence was easy to identify. A gentle fizzing…

'That's Jack,' Daniel helped her interpret that sensation.

'Colonel Carter?' she asked, but before anyone could reply, she felt Jennifer speak urgently.

'Dragon, Colonel Carter's heart is failing again. Thor can not apply the resuscitation techniques while we are all connected to her.'

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* * *

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_TBC_

- - - - -


	69. Fading

- - - - -

_'Dragon, Colonel Carter's heart is failing again. Thor can not apply the resuscitation techniques while we are all connected to her.'_

- - - - -

* * *

- - - - - 

**Ch 69: FADING**

- - -

Jack reached for her.  
She was there, but she was fading.  
He was losing her.

She couldn't quite string her thoughts together, but she could feel… him.  
The others were becoming part of the muted background.

But she held onto what she could feel of him.  
That gentle fizzing became the music of her existence.  
His sarcastic humor, his irreverence and his trueness of character.  
All interwoven into his love for her.

- - - - -

Jennifer quickly related to them what was going to happen next.

Teal'c centered himself and focused along the link stretching back to Jennifer and then to the two waiting Nox. The Jaffa focused on Anteaus while still retaining awareness of the other four near him.

'And… now,' Jennifer's voice reached them one last time and then she faded from their senses. Daniel was next and Dragon felt his absence strongly.

Dragon and Jack waited and then Teal'c's words came to each of them clearly, 'This way,' and they followed the Jaffa's link back to Anteaus. Jack holding onto Sam.

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* * *

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_Minutes earlier_

Thor worked the controls on his console and the stone in Lt. Hailey's hands quickly lost its glow and the young officer's image quickly regained normal solidity. She swayed as she dropped out of the connection. Gripping the edge of Sam's biopod, Jennifer shook her head slightly as her eyes refocused on the physical world.

"Please step clear," the Asgard instructed calmly but quickly and Jennifer quickly stepped away from Daniel and Dragon.

Thor again tapped some commands into his console and the stone in Daniel's hands quickly lost its glow and the wavering image of the archeologist quickly regained solidity. He wobbled just as she had as his mind attempted to assimilate the new reality.

"Steady there," Jennifer reached out, but did not touch him.

"Please step clear," Thor repeated his earlier instruction and Daniel obediently staggered away from Lya, Teal'c and Dragon. Once he was clear of the others, Jennifer reached out and assisted him to the other side of Sam's biopod, where the two of them would be out of the way.

Finally, Lya's image regained solidity and she stepped quietly away from Anteaus and then joined Jennifer and Daniel.

Once she was clear, Thor worked a few more controls and Sam's body convulsed and spasmed.

"C'mon, Sam," Daniel urged her heart to start beating properly again.

Thor slid a few of the stones on the control panel around again and Sam's body jerked and shuddered.

Moments of silence…and then just as Daniel was turning to ask a question, her body arched upwards with another large convulsion.

And then she lay there motionlessly.  
No one moved.

Daniel turned again to look back at Thor and his eyes swept over the sad look on Lya's face and the tears streaming down Jennifer's face. Finally looking back at Thor, he met the large eyes of the diminutive alien. Neither of them said a word. Thor's hands moved.

And Sam's body arched upwards violently.

- - - - - - -

Teal'c shepherded his charges back towards Anteaus, their homing beacon for the last leg of their interdimensional expedition. Time was again meaningless as they steadily grew closer.

'You journey is almost complete,' Anteaus' words were clear in each of their minds.

Dragon sent her thanks to Anteaus and Teal'c, but did not disturb the General as she faded from their realm.

Moments later, Daniel reappeared and joined Teal'c as they leant Jack their strength to hold onto the fading essence of Sam Carter.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Her mind was thick and fuzzy.

Thoughts were isolated and solitary.

She could still feel him.  
That background of soothing electrical fizzing.

Fizz, fizz, fizz, fizz… her mind spun slowly on that one word.  
That one simple feeling.

And then there was love.  
Simple. Warm. Free.  
She would die happy, embraced by his love.

The last things she would feel.  
The last things in her mind.  
The final sensations.

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* * *

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- - - - -

He could feel her fading… slowly, but inexorably.  
But she wasn't bitter, or angry, or resentful.  
She was dying knowing his love.  
She was dying knowing that he was there.

He held on with everything he had.  
Drawing on the strength and love from Daniel and Teal'c.  
Drawing on his love for her.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Her body landed heavily on the biopod and Lya immediately swung her arms up and over Sam's chest. Within moments, the Nox shimmered and became translucent… and then so did Sam.

Jennifer and Dragon watched as the soundless drama unfolded before them.

Dragon moved over and pulled the younger woman into a silent hug.

- - - - - - -

And then the images of Lya and Sam resolidified. Lya wavered unsteadily on her feet and Thor began working busily with his console again.

"Her heartbeat is slow and weak at 59, her blood pressure is also below normal readings, as is her respiration," the Asgard reported.

"But her heart's beating and she's breathing, right?" Dragon pointed out and gave Jennifer another hug.

"For the moment," the Asgard warned carefully.

"This was all I could accomplish towards healing her physical body without the integrated assistance of her mind," Lya explained and then moved back into position between the biopods and with her back to Anteaus. Quickly raising her arms again, she reestablished the link with Anteaus, and she and Sam once more shimmered into translucence.

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* * *

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- - - - -

'Lya,' Teal'c acknowledged the arrival of the second Nox.

'Teal'c,' she replied softly.

'Colonel Carter must return to the physical realm now, her body is failing without her mind and soul,' Lya informed them.

'As her mind is fading here,' Anteaus replied and Teal'c needed no further instructions.

Quickly pulling DanielJackson with him, the Jaffa reached out mentally for that which was JackO'Neill.

'O'Neill!' the Jaffa spoke sharply, but Jack did not respond - his entire focus was on the fading remnants that he held so strongly.

'O'Neill! Follow Us!" the Jaffa directed powerfully and DanielJackson added his strength.

They didn't quite break-through, so much as achieve a reaction from Jack that was similar to that which Sam had given him earlier. That is, Jack blindly followed their directions. Implicitly trusting.

Jack pulled her with him.  
He pulled the two of them and let Teal'c and Daniel help.

And then they were there.  
At the end.  
With only one more step.  
One more step, to return to their realm, to their space-time.

He felt Daniel and then Teal'c fade from this realm.

'You must go quickly now,' Anteaus warned and Jack knew he couldn't argue.

There simply was no more time.  
No more moments to be snatched from death or any interdimensional realm.

- - - - -

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* * *

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- - - - -

He faded from her senses.

That background fizzing went silent.

Her soul ached and a hollowness overtook her.

…Adrift…

She was so tired.

She reached out, feeling for his presence.

But it was gone.

Empty.

Quiet.

Too quiet.

Vaguely, she thought she should sense something.

But there was nothing.

Just a memory, just an echo.

She was so tired.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Dragon and Jennifer watched as first Daniel and then Teal'c solidified and rejoined them in the 'normal' space-time realm on board Thor's ship. Just as the men were clearing the area between the biopods, Anteaus and Jack solidified.

Anteaus quickly turned around to stand beside Lya. Raising his arms he quickly became translucent again.

A low moan came from Jack's biopod. With one eye on the shimmering Nox, Daniel stepped over next to Jack.

"Welcome Back," Daniel gave his friend a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes yet as his attention was divided with the drama over the other biopod.

"Ugchk…," Jack managed another groan and swiped a hand over his face.

"Lie still," Daniel directed empathetically.

But then Jack bolted upwards with, "Sam!" and then almost immediately collapsed into Daniel's arms.

"I told you to stay lying down – and I know that we've had this conversation before!" the archeologist muttered as Jack sagged against him.

"Shut up and help me get up," Jack returned shortly, but his words were tempered with affection.

"Teal'c, help?" Daniel appealed as Jack attempted an uncoordinated attempt at climbing out of the biopod.

The Jaffa stepped over, slid an arm around Jack and neatly slipped him out of the biopod and into a generally upright position… Only roughly vertical, however, as Jack was supporting very little of his own weight. Teal'c held the man upright with no apparent effort and quickly moved them around to a position where they could see both Sam and the two Nox. Daniel followed behind and the three men joined the two women as they waited and watched the shimmering tableau.

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* * *

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- - - - -

'Samantha,' Anteaus and Lya were calling her.

But she couldn't hear them.

All she could feel was an aching exhaustion.

Her thoughts gradually faded into fuzziness.

Adrift.

Quiet.

- - - - -

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* * *

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- - - - -

"They're losing her," Jack said with certainty and Daniel looked back at Thor and the Asgard nodded minutely in confirmation.

Jennifer Hailey looked at the ground in disbelief.  
To have come this far!  
To have gone through this much!  
After dragging them back from _another freaking dimension!  
_After watching her body convulse violently and repeatedly…  
After all that… to watch her die???

Dragon felt the heaviness of defeat settle over her as she wrapped a comforting arm around the younger woman again.

Jack pulled out of Teal'c's grip and lurched forward, bracing himself heavily against the side of her biopod.

"Jack-?" Daniel started to protest and Jack glared at him, challenging him to explain what Jack's presence was going to prevent. But Daniel couldn't and the archeologist's words died in his throat and his breath exhaled silently in defeat.

Turning back to her transclucent image, Jack leaned over and placed his hand over her shimmering chest.

He closed his eyes and simply focused on her.  
Shutting out all else.  
Simply focusing on _her_.  
His hand began tingling and itching and prickling.  
He did not open his eyes to look for any results.  
He just focused on her.

Daniel sucked in a breath as the palm of Jack's hand began to glow with a soft green light. All four remaining humans watched silently, transfixed by the ethereal tableau before them.

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* * *

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'Sam?' he called.

'Sam?' he tried again and again.

'SAM!' he was shouting.

He felt the serene presence of the Nox as they guided him gently.

'SAM!' he shouted again.

And then he felt her.  
He didn't hear her.  
He felt her.

She was barely there.  
Almost phantasmal.

'Sam?' he reached for her. 'Follow me,' and he tugged her with him. And, just as before, she didn't argue or question… she simply trusted. Her trust in him transcended interdimensional realms… her love for him one of the few remaining pieces of what she was.

He pulled her gently with him.  
Gently back to their physical time and space.

And then his senses shut down and nothingness descended.

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* * *

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_TBC_

- - - - -


	70. Adrift

_He pulled her gently with him.  
__Gently back to their physical time and space._

_And then his senses shut down and nothingness descended._

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 70: ADRIFT**

- - -

Daniel, Teal'c, Dragon and Jennifer watched the eerie scene silently.

And then the images of Sam, Lya and Anteaus solidified and Jack slumped over Sam's chest.

"She is too weak for that," Lya warned and Teal'c stepped forward quickly and picked Jack up effortlessly and then carried him around and slipped him back into his biopod.

"Is she…?," Jennifer started to ask, but couldn't quite form an entire question.

Lya and Anteaus exchanged silent gazes with Thor and then turned back to the four humans, "Samantha's mind and consciousness have returned to this realm. However, she remains in critical condition. Both her mind and body are exhausted and traumatized."

"Will she be OK?" Jennifer managed.

Lya shook her head empathetically, "We can not know the answer to that yet," and the mood in the room dropped again. "There is however, hope," and the Nox tried to smile encouragingly.

Anteaus was studying the quiet figures in both biopods, "O'Neill brought her back," he commented thoughtfully and then glanced at first Lya and then Thor.

Lya nodded her agreement, "Their connection is strong."

"The biological effects accumulated over the past four months are still present in their systems," Thor added. "The unique enzymes, organic molecules and inorganic elements are still allowing them expanded and elevated access to the connection between them and its effects."

"Their connection may be the only possibility for Samantha's recovery," Lya voiced softly. "We were not able to recover her on our own."

Anteaus looked over at Thor, "Perhaps they should be together? The physical proximity could facilitate the healing process tremendously," and Lya nodded her assent.

"I can create one biopod that would accommodate both Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter," and with that the Asgard began industriously moving the control stones over his panel. The four humans exchanged questioning looks, but no one said anything.

Moments later an extra wide biopod appeared beside the two occupied pods. Next Jack's pod filled with a flash of white light and Jack disappeared to immediately reappear with another white flash inside the wider pod. With a repeat of the same sequence, Sam appeared in the wider pod, lying by his side. The two singe pods disappeared in a final burst of white light.

"Will this suffice?" Thor questioned.

Both Nox nodded thoughtfully while studying the two unconscious humans, so Thor turned his questioning gaze to the four humans.

"Uh, yeah, I guess it's allright," Daniel offered with a shrug and then a look at Teal'c, as both men remembered the emotions emanating from the two officers when they'd been at Jack's 'Metaphysical' Lake.

"I believe that both JackO'Neill and SamanthaCarter would be agreeable to these accommodations," and the Jaffa's serious tones made everything seem nothing but right and proper.

The two Nox smiled gently. "We will need to rest and regenerate," Anteaus spoke quietly. "Thor will monitor Samantha's biosigns and he will call us if there are any emergencies."

"It would be most helpful if one of you were to talk to Samantha. Her mind needs to heal and reconnect with this space-time. She may not hear your actual words, but your tone and friendship will provide her with additional support and connections," Lya suggested.

"Sure, no problem," Daniel answered and the others nodded their assent.

"Like they say helps some coma patients," Dragon commented musingly and Jennifer nodded again.

"After we rest, we will attempt to assist Samantha with her recovery," Lya finished.

"Thank you, for all you've done," Daniel offered sincerely.

"Yes. Please accept my thanks as well," Teal'c offered solemnly.

"Mine too," came from Dragon and "Yeah, thanks," from Jennifer.

The two Nox smiled gently and headed for their on board quarters.

- - - - - - - -

"How's Jack?" Daniel asked the quiet Asgard.

"O'Neill sleeps deeply," Thor replied. "His biosigns indicate that both his body and mind are resting and recovering."

"And Sam's biosigns?" the archeologist couldn't help asking.

"Samantha's biosigns are weaker and less stable," the Asgard synopsized qualitatively, sensing that the Tauri was not interested in a recitation of the console readings.

The four humans absorbed the information while studying their motionless comrades.

"I shall now retire as well," Thor spoke quietly as he stepped down off of the small, raised dais. "The automated systems will notify me if Samantha's condition worsens."

"Thor, thanks for… everything," Daniel acknowledged the Asgard's efforts.

"You are welcome, DanielJackson," Thor replied solemnly as he exited the room quietly.

"How about 2-hour shifts?" Daniel suggested and then clarified, "To talk to Sam?" and the other nodded their agreement thoughtfully.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Her mind swam sluggishly from unconsciousness to semi-consciousness.  
The darkness and quiet depressingly familiar.

And his absence.  
He was gone.  
Again.

Her heart ached painfully.

And then she heard something.  
So faint.  
Words… she wasn't quite able to parse the words separately…  
But someone was speaking…

Someone she knew.  
She recognized the tone, timber and inflection.  
It wasn't _him_… but it was… someone she knew… someone she loved…

He was… a source of comfort… a source of solace….  
… a man of deep feelings… a man with a kind heart….  
… he was a kindred spirit intellectually…  
… he was like… a brother…

Her heart took comfort from his presence.

She was not alone.

- - - - - - - -

Daniel spent his two hour shift telling Sam about Cassie and then about some of their travels over the past four and a half months. He held her hand gently and watched his two friends carefully as the minutes ticked away.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Her mind swam towards awareness again.  
But again, only made it to that mushy level just above semi-consciousness.

She searched for him.  
Felt for that electrical fizzing.  
But it wasn't there.  
And the pain was just as deep as before.  
How many times would she feel his loss?

And then she heard the words again.  
Streams of words… not quite clear enough to understand…  
And, again, she recognized the tone and timber.  
Different than before…  
But with an indescribable feeling of security…

Again, this was not _him_… this voice… was one of depth…  
… from a man of true wisdom… a man of deep honor…  
… he was a comrade and protector…

Just as before, names and other such tags eluded her clouded mind, but she identified and held onto her connection with that voice and its source.

Not alone.

Not alone.

- - - - - - - -

Teal'c shared age-old tales of Jaffa lore, his tones reminiscent of when he had spun stories for his son and his son's friends when they were young. The Jaffa watched both of his Tauri friends carefully as his two hours passed quietly.

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* * *

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- - - - -

This time the words were softer and of a higher, gentler timber.  
Not quite as… familiar… as the previous tone…  
…but a connection was there… a familiarity…

Something in her intellect resonated…

- - - - - - - -

Jennifer spoke softly but animatedly about the physics and mathematics that might be governing the phenomena inside the interdimensional realm that they had visited. And, she couldn't help suggesting that the orange-blue wormhole may have been the first wormhole that might have allowed two-way travel… as she had suggested in her paper back at the Academy…

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* * *

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- - - - -

Different again, her mind noted as the words washed over her.  
Soft, gentle tones…. but full of humor and wit.  
Friendly.  
Enough to let her know that she was not alone.

It was hard to hold on in the darkness.  
So hard to be alone with no points of reference.  
She was struggling to hold on… to fight to hold onto what little she had.

There were only the voices for a tenuous anchor.  
And she was tired… so… tired…

- - - - - - - -

Dragon spent her time relating tales of their explorations over the past four and a half months. She made sure that she included humorous anecdotes relating to the other three. She also spent a little time trying to describe the strength of friendship and devotion that she'd seen evidenced by Daniel and Teal'c for the two missing officers. Quietly, she also commented on Jennifer's fierce loyalty and resolve.

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* * *

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- - - - -

Alarms and lights suddenly broke the quiet of Daniel's second shift.  
He stood up but then froze, unsure of what to do.  
He stared at Jack and Sam, but both were still motionless.

Thor hurried swiftly into the room and stepped quickly up onto the small raised dais. A few short moments later, the alarms stopped and the Asgard spoke quickly, "Please step back, Doctor Jackson."

Glancing at Thor, the archeologist looked back down and then quickly stepped back, just as Teal'c, Dragon and Jennifer hurried into the room, questioning looks on their faces.

Sam's body jerked and convulsed, quickly answering their unvoiced questions. Daniel sucked in a breath as he watched his friend's body wracked with spasms again. As she quieted, he chanced a look at Jack, to see a faint shimmering in the air between the two officers, and he realized that Thor must have erected a force field to shield Jack from the 'Asgard CPR'.

His eyes were jerked back to Sam as her body shook with another set of convulsions.

- - - - -

_TBC_

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* * *

Author's Notes: I first encountered the idea of an extra wide Asgard biopod that could hold two in the fanfic 'What Fools These Mortals Be' by Dinkydow. This fanfic is in five parts and can be accessed at Gateworld's fanfic archive. 

I first encountered the idea of Jack and Sam with 'glowing healing abilities' in Eridani Moon's fanfic 'There Without Her' – this epic fanfic/saga, chronicles an amazing Jack/Sam romance and then their marriage and family. I have taken the 'glowing' abilities in a different direction with the Stargate, but if you like a good long read, and well-written prose, I highly recommend "There Without Her" at I struggled to get my Sam and Jack to just kiss, but Eridani Moon should satisfy those who want more… :)… www**_dot_**fanfiction**_dot_**net/u/463887/ (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)

As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)  
_Episode 419 "Prodigy", Transcript by AQ_

And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at 's Stargate SG-1 website

- - - - -


	71. Integration

_Glancing at Thor, the archeologist looked back down and then quickly stepped back, just as Teal'c, Dragon and Jennifer hurried into the room, questioning looks on their faces. Sam's body jerked and convulsed, quickly answering their unvoiced questions. Daniel sucked in a breath as he watched his friend's body wracked with spasms again. _

- - -

* * *

- - - 

**Ch 71: INTEGRATION**

- - -

Dimly Daniel became aware of Lya and Anteaus' quiet presences beside him. Gently, they moved him aside and quickly crossed their arms over Sam's chest. Both of the Nox and Sam quickly shimmered into translucence.

Daniel glanced back at his three friends and comrades. Teal'c looked stoic, yet anyone who knew that large Jaffa would know that he was worried. Dragon looked sympathetic and Jennifer was obviously holding back tears.

Dragon's eyes broke away from his and shot up in surprise. Daniel turned back to see that Jack was waking up. Quickly stepping around to Jack's side of the biopod, he gently lay a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Easy," he warned affectionately.

Jack's gaze slowly focused on the archeologist and he gave the younger man a wan smile, "Hey," he managed, although it was almost more of a sigh than a word.

"Hey," Daniel returned and then couldn't help but check on the shimmering threesome on the other side of the pod.

Jack's gaze followed and he tried to reach out to Sam, only to be stopped by the forcefield. "Sam?" he called weakly.

"Lya and Anteaus are helping her," Daniel supplied while keeping a restraining hand on his friend's arm.

Jack considered the shimmering images and then turned back to Daniel, "I need to help. She needs… me," and he tried to push himself upright. "Give me a hand," he directed.

"I think we've had this conversation before," Daniel replied with an arched eyebrow and Jack scowled at him. "Right…," Daniel muttered and then reluctantly helped the older man into a sitting position.

Thor, watching closely, quietly deactivated the forcefield between the two halves of the biopod. Daniel gave the Asgard a silent nod of gratitude.

Jack pulled himself over so that lay up against her side.

Gently, he lay his hand over her shimmering chest again.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on searching for that feeling of warmth that he knew of as her. He was almost unaware of the tingling, prickling and itching sensations.

The others watched as the palm of his hand glowed softly green again.

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Jack felt the warmth that he knew was her presence.  
He felt her exhaustion and her pain.  
He reached out… and let his presence wash over her.  
Felt her recognition… her joy… her love washed over him… and he answered in kind…

And then he felt her fading as she relaxed in the comfort of his presence.

'No!' he shouted to her and he felt Lya and Anteaus beside him. The Nox leant their strength to the two Tauri…healing them…allowing both mind and body to repair and regenerate.

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The minutes passed slowly and in silence as those watching waited apprehensively.

And then Lya, Anteaus and Sam resolidified and the green glow between Jack's palm and Sam's chest died away. Lya and Anteaus stepped away with gentle smiles on their faces.

Jack opened his eyes sleepily from where his head lay cushioned on her shoulder. "Sam?" his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Mm..," and it was scarcely more than a breath in response, but everyone in the room heard it.

"Sam?" and his voice was a little stronger as his hand traveled to lay gently on her cheek.

Her eyelids fluttered gently and she blinked blearily at him. "Wha-?" she almost managed a word, but it ended in a weary exhalation of breath.

"It's ok, just sleep," and his words were slurred with his own sleep as he moved his arm down to curl around her waist.

Her reply was not audible as she slipped back asleep by his side.

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* * *

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Quiet descended in the room as the three Tauri, one Jaffa, two Nox and one Asgard watched the now-motionless pair on the biopod.

"Thor? Anteaus, Lya?" Daniel finally broke the silence apprehensively.

But the soft smiles on the faces of both Nox reassured them all. "Now that Samantha's mind is present in this realm, we were able to conduct the healing session properly," Anteaus supplied.

"Jack…?" Daniel asked.

"General O'Neill participated in the healing session and he too should be recovered after a sufficient rest," Anteaus replied.

"General O'Neill's presence greatly facilitated Samantha's healing," Lya informed them with an acknowledging nod.

"They will both sleep for some time," Anteaus continued, "But they should recover completely over the next few days."

"They're going to be OK?" Jennifer asked for confirmation.

Both Nox nodded empathetically and Anteaus answered, "Yes, with the integrated help of their minds, they are now healed."

The four humans studied their sleeping comrades in silence. So much… had taken so long… and now, they were OK? It was hard to believe that it wasn't going to just be taken from their grasp again.

"Wow," Jennifer muttered and then gave the others a shrug and a small smile.

"Yeah. Wow," Dragon agreed, and gave the young officer a commiserating grin.

"_I_ get to tell them about the Planet of Mud," Teal'c stated solemnly and they all stared at the Jaffa, totally unprepared for his sudden humor.

Always quick, however, Jennifer claimed hers, "I get to tell them about the Bug Planet and the one with the phosphorescent minerals."

"Two?" Dragon returned with arched eyebrows.

The young officer shrugged, "No one hated Planet Bug the way that I did, and I will make sure that they appreciate what we went through while searching for them," and she looked at the others challengingly, but no one dared argue that she wouldn't give the most excruciating details of that excursion. "And… I figure that Colonel Carter and I are probably the only two who really care much about the phosphorescent minerals…?" And again, no one wanted to argue with that…

"I'm going to ask the General why he chose P8X-539 instead of something like the tropical paradise of PX3-071…," Dragon stated.

Daniel smiled at her evaluation, "There certainly were more trees on P8X-539 than I would have expected for a planet that Jack would pick," he allowed.

Their light banter continued as they headed off for a meal and some rest. Thor assured them that the two officers were now resting peacefully and that the automatic systems would warn them of any changes.

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_TBC_

- - - - -


	72. Considerations

- - - - -

"_I'm going to ask the General why he chose P8X-539 instead of something like the tropical paradise of PX3-071…," Dragon stated._

_Daniel smiled at her evaluation, "There certainly were more trees on P8X-539 than I would have expected for a planet that Jack would pick," he allowed._

- - - - -

* * *

- - - - -

**Ch 72: CONSIDERATIONS**

- - - - -

Over the next twenty hours, both Jack and Sam slept for long stretches with short periods of awareness and verbal interaction with the others. Teal'c, Jennifer, Dragon and Daniel were true to their word and utilized some of the pair's waking hours to relate some of the more dramatic moments from their months of searching for the missing officers.

No one questioned or commented on the sleeping arrangements where Jack was usually spooned up against Sam's back with an arm curled around her waist. And no one commented on the pair's continued need to keep in contact when awake. Sometimes it was just a hand on an arm… but no matter how minimal, the contact was always present.

On the second day after they had been healed by the Nox, Thor allowed them to move to private quarters alongside the rooms of their comrades. Without discussion, Thor provided the two of them with one room and a double-wide bunk.

Sam met Jack's eyes with a bit of humor and then went over and sat on the bunk. "So… do you think that they think… that we…?," and her voice trailed off as she looked at him both questioningly and yet knowingly.

He sucked in a quiet breath and then moved over to sit alongside her, "Probably…?" and he shrugged apologetically.

She nodded silently and studied the floor.

Jack shifted uncomfortably. They had worked so hard over the past four and a half months to not completely trash the boundaries imposed by military regulations and circumstance. There had only been one true kiss… and that had been in an interdimensional realm that he didn't begin to understand. Like Jack's Metaphysical Lake, they now had a metaphysical kiss that they'd shared in their minds.

"I'm not looking forward to writing up the report on the past four and half months," Sam commented wryly. She met his eyes for a moment and then went back to studying the floor, "I spent a lot of it either asleep or unconscious," she observed ruefully.

He opened his mouth to protest, but then his mind replayed images of her asleep in the tent, on the riverbank, snuggled up in his arms…, "I didn't mind the simply asleep times," he ventured softly.

She arched an eyebrow at him as she tried to sift through the various possible meanings of that statement, but she ultimately just gave him a soft, shy smile.

"The unconscious times I could have done without, though," he then pointed out and accompanied his words with a softening smile.

"Sorry about that," she apologized genuinely.

"Yeah, well," he replied vaguely as images of her body convulsing in the biopod flashed before his eyes. "Asgard CPR isn't too different from… our CPR," he murmured.

She looked at him quizzically, and he elaborated with, "He had to… shock you," and he saw comprehension in her eyes, "Repeatedly," Jack added and she winced.

"Guess I'd be pretty sore if it weren't for Anteaus and Lya," she ventured.

Jack nodded absently and then continued his previous train of thought, "And I really thought I'd lost you as we were coming out of that weird interdimensional-realm-space-place…," he deliberately mugged up the words… and was rewarded with a small smile on her face.

The smile faded, though as she tried to remember their time in that other space-time. "I remember struggling to just stay… aware… There was a lot of …nothing… It was like a sensory deprivation tank…," and her gaze became unfocused as she worked through the memories. "And…then… I… can't explain it… it was like I… found this place… where I could just… think…. about something or someplace… and I was there… sort of… but somehow I knew it wasn't real…," and her voice trailed off as she tried to put the experience into words.

"I was with you for the dirtbike – or mudbike – riding," he commented with a semi-accusatory grin.

"I… felt you… but I didn't believe that you were really there… I thought it was just part of the… illusions… or delusions…," she confessed.

"Oh, I was there," he stated categorically and then added, "And you were_ insane_ on that bike," he declared with both amusement and affection.

She shrugged, "It wasn't real, so I couldn't really get hurt," she stated.

"_We_ couldn't get hurt," he qualified archly but tempered it with a smile.

"We," she allowed with a small smile and then continued, "That was another thing that wouldn't work in the 'real world'," and she mimed quotation marks with her fingers. "We wouldn't be able to ride double on one of those bikes, they are too small… and the weight of another person would have made the bike too hard for me to handle around the corners," she stated analytically.

He gave her a bemused smile, "It was still pretty thrilling," he commented.

She smiled shyly, "Yeah, it was," she admitted.

"And so was flying the X-302," he added and she gave him another small smile. "Not so sure about the 3-D physics and math, though… that may give me nightmares," he joked.

She looked puzzled for a moment and then her face reddened as she realized that he'd seen her visualizing and working physics and mathematics in her mind.

"You know, I've often joked that I could see the wheels turning in there," and he tapped the side of her head, "But now that I've actually seen what you're thinking in there, there's no way I'll ever be able to think of it as simple wheels and cogs."

She didn't say anything, but her face got a little redder with embarrassment.

"And I'm going to miss Jack's Metaphysical Lake," he quipped to lighten the tone and she gave him another small smile for his efforts.

"I remember… our time at the 'Gate," and she looked at him as they both remembered their strong emotions, admissions and discoveries. "And I remember sitting by the river… and not caring about coming back…," she confessed.

"Yeah," he agreed heavily, "And it was my job to bring us back," and he winced, "I just… wanted to stay there…," he admitted.

"And then I remember Jack's Lake… and I remember being tired… we took a nap…," she looked at him questioningly and he nodded his assent.

"And then Daniel and Teal'c showed up to rescue our asses," Jack added to the timeline.

She nodded again, "I remember Daniel and Teal'c joining us… and Teal'c used Kel'nor'reem to help us find the way out… and then things get patchy… hazy…," and she looked down in frustration.

"We were losing you," Jack reached over and pulled her into a hug. "And we almost did."

"Almost, but not quite," she pointed out, while returning his embrace.

"Too close," he stated.

"You brought me back," she stated with certainty.

"Yeah, that old green glow worked wonders," he cracked irreverently.

She pulled back from him a bit to look at his face, "The green glow…?" and he could just imagine the 3-D and multidimensional physics playing through her mind now… certainly not simple cogs and wheels, no sirree.

"Yeah, I had to do it twice," he affirmed.

"Twice?" she echoed as she thought through the possibilities.

"Yeah once to get you back… here," and he pointed at the floor to indicate this space-time realm, "And once more to help hold onto you while Anteaus and Lya healed you… holistically, I think they called it," he finished, proud at his recall of that last detail.

"I don't know holistic physics," she admitted with a wry grin.

"Well Thor seemed to work with them just fine," Jack commented and her brows lifted in surprise.

"Thor's advanced science with the Nox's… holistic medicine?" she questioned.

He shrugged, "You'll have to ask them how it all works – you and Hailey are the only two here who have a chance at understanding their explanations."

But Sam shook her head, "I think it's all way over my head."

"I saw what's _in_ your head," he countered with widened eyes to emphasize his point, "And I doubt that any of this is beyond your understanding," he declared with confidence.

"I'm just glad that everyone is OK," Sam commented with feeling. "This green glow… and controlling the wormhole… it never occurred to me that we would be able to…," and here she grimaced, "tap into an already established connection… and divert the… travelers."

"Mmhm, pretty amazing," and he said it with the tone he often used at briefings. She caught his tone immediately and gave him a tolerant and bemused smile.

"The potential is astounding, though… the individual user interface… but dangerous too," she admitted now that they'd experienced more of what it could all do.

"Speaking of that," he remarked and she looked up quizzically. "I think we should consider not… including the whole green glowy, control-the-wormhole-with-the-mind thingy in our reports," he suggested and then waited for her response.

"That's a lot to leave out," she began with that simple observation and he nodded.

"We can deal with it," he countered.

"Why should we leave it all out?" she asked.

"Because the Asgard and the Nox said that it's unlikely that anyone else would be able to use the 'Gate the way that we did," and he waited and watched as that sunk in.

The expression on her face changed to one of reluctance as she remembered his explanation of their 'NID rankings', "So we could be pressed into service as guinea pigs and test subjects."

He nodded and then added, "And they said that the whole green glowy thing is a result of the combination of our position in space and our unique histories along with some minerals and stuff… that were present in higher than normal levels on P8X-539," and then he couldn't help adding, "It's too bad we never named that planet, I really hate having to refer to it by those silly numbers and letters."

"So the effect will wear off the longer we are away from the planet?" Sam asked astutely.

He nodded again, "I wouldn't have minded keeping the ability to… heal… you," he added softly.

"Yeah… that was pretty…cool," she admitted with a grin.

"So what do you think about not including that stuff in our reports?" he asked. He'd done something similar when he and his team had 'modified' their reports after coming back from Abydos the first time. Of course… that not-so-little lie had ultimately been discovered… He decided not to bring up that little fact as he glanced over at Sam.

She didn't answer immediately. They would be asking seven other people to lie along with them. Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Rider, Jennifer Hailey, Thor, Anteaus and Lya. Of all of them, Jennifer Hailey was the one that bothered her the most. "I don't think we can ask Jennifer to falsify her report… she's just a young officer, just starting her career… if she lies here and is found out down the line, it would destroy her career."

Jack opened his mouth, but she continued, "And we'd have to live the lie forever after… and we'd be asking the others to live with that same lie hanging over their heads."

He nodded ruefully, "I figured you'd say that," and he gave her another hug as he thought fiercely about how he'd destroy anyone who tried to turn her into a lab experiment.

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As it turned out, the others had also discussed similar lines of reasoning.

The Asgard and the Nox had apparently conferred about the ramifications of the new Tauri experiments and had decided to recommend that the humans not share their new discoveries with the rest of their comrades back on Earth.

"We do not wish to imply that the Tauri are not an advanced culture," Thor began with that preface and Jack bit back an acerbic rejoinder that flitted to his lips unbidden. He saw Sam and Daniel wince at the Asgard's words and then gave them both knowing looks that pointed out his own diplomatic silence.

"However, we believe that it would be most dangerous for the six of you to share this knowledge with the others on your planet," Anteaus spoke up in his serene tones.

"It is highly unlikely that others on your planet would have much, if any, success with the Stargate's individual interface," Lya picked up the explanation.

"Consequently, there are those on your planet who would most likely treat you as little more than test subjects," Thor continued solemnly and Jack wondered idly if the three aliens had rehearsed their delivery.

"Jack and I have discussed this a bit," Sam replied. "The ramifications of lying or withholding the information are too complicated and we can't live with the constant possibility of tripping over our own lies."

Jack picked it up there, "We're going to have to trust that this information won't be perverted, or used by the wrong people in the wrong way. We're always trying to convince advanced civilizations that we should be entrusted with technological advances, but if we don't trust ourselves…?"

As he finished, Jack met Sam's eyes and she read his concern again. 90-X and 90-Z… the NID rankings floated through her mind. "My report will recommend that this portion of the Stargate remain offlimits and classified until such time that we can be sure that we can control the interface in a fairly safe manner," Sam added and then elaborated, "I will stress the dangers, unpredictability and remote chances for success, along with the probability for damage and downtime to the Earth's only Stargate."

"So… no obfuscation," Jack summarized and then added a mock-offended, "What?" at everyone's look of disbelief after his choice of words. "I do know _some_ big words you know… I even like some of them… like obfuscation… I like that word," and he gave them all another smug smirk.

"We will honor your choice," Lya spoke for the Nox.

"As will the Asgard," Thor agreed.

"While we do not believe that you are choosing the safest course of action, we admire your honor," Anteaus added.

"I don't think that the Asgard and the Nox should stress the dangers too much," Daniel cautioned and Jack quickly nodded his understanding and agreement.

"He's right, if you stress the dangers of this 'individual interface' too much, there are some folks back on Earth who will see that as a challenge to work on it," Jack explained.

Thor nodded, "I understand. I have often observed such behavior from you, O'Neill," and the others quickly tried to hide their smiles. Jack narrowed his eyes at the assembled personnel and was surprised to see small smiles evident on even the normally placid faces of the Nox.

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As the room broke up into several smaller conversations, Jack caught Sam's questioning look. Nodding, he took a deep breath and spoke loud enough for his voice to carry across the various side discussions, "There is one other thing that Sam and I wanted to talk to you all about," and the room quickly fell silent as seven expectant gazes focused on the two officers.

"We just wanted to explain… about us," and Sam gestured between herself and Jack.

"Right," Jack agreed and then fell silent again, giving her an apologetic look.

"We know that it probably looks like… we slept together… which we did… but just not in that way that you're thinking…," Sam floundered for the appropriate words.

"Right," Jack added not-so-helpfully and she rolled her eyes.

"Look, it was cold, or rather, I was cold and we slept together to share body heat…," and she groaned mentally at how feeble that sounded.

"She really was like a popsicle," Jack chimed in with and then sent her another apologetic shrug before looking down at the floor.

"So we slept next to each other… we didn't take things farther than that," Sam finished and then looked around for their reactions. Teal'c nodded slightly and maintained a respectfully sage look. The others seemed to be still considering the probabilities.

"And we became really good friends," Sam added.

"Friends," Jack echoed and nodded his head in agreement.

"It was either that or we would have killed each other," Sam added dryly and with a raised eyebrow.

And that finally elicited some grins and small chuckles from the rest of the group.

"And we decided to wait until we got back to Earth… before exploring the possibilities of anything else," Jack finally offered something substantive and the two officers watched for their friends' reactions.

"So… after we get back… you two…?" Daniel asked vaguely, allowing Jack and Sam to fill in the details.

Jack glanced at Sam and met her eyes for a moment and then looked back at Daniel and the others, "Well, General Parker is CO of the SGC now, so…," and Jack shrugged.

"So you won't be our CO anymore," Jennifer added diplomatically, and with a small smile.

"Right," Jack confirmed the younger officer's conclusions.

"Right," Daniel said softly and shook his head with wonder. He and Teal'c had felt their two friends' feelings for each other in that interdimensional realm. "Four and a half months… Does the Air Force give medals for self-restraint?" he asked the three officers present.

"Da-aniel," Jack groaned while Sam blushed.

The archeologist just shrugged with mock innocence, "Just asking…"

"At any rate," Sam's tone was one of amused sufferance, "We just wanted to make sure that you all understood that we aren't… that we weren't…," and her voice trailed off uncertainly again.

Silence answered them for a few moments as their friends thought it over and then Teal'c spoke up, "We understand," the Jaffa replied with his deep somber tones and the others nodded their agreement.

"Good, we didn't want you to think we were jumping each other every chance we got," Jack quipped, but when Sam closed her eyes with embarrassment, he hastily amended, "Or even once," and then she looked at him with a pained expression tinged with amusement. "Shut up?" he asked.

"Please," she replied pleadingly, but he saw the smile threatening the corners of her mouth.

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_TBC_

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	73. Arriving Home

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"_Good, we didn't want you to think we were jumping each other every chance we got," Jack quipped, but when Sam closed her eyes with embarrassment, he hastily amended, "Or even once," and then she looked at him with a pained expression tinged with amusement. "Shut up?" he asked._

"_Please," she replied pleadingly, but he saw the smile threatening the corners of her mouth._

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**Ch 73: ARRIVING HOME**

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Thor notified the SGC of their arrival and then beamed them down into the Gateroom with their supplies and equipment. A crowd of expectant and smiling SGC personnel looked down on them from the control room and still others waited in the large doorways on either side of the Gateroom.

"Welcome Home, SG-1," General Parker stepped forward and the assembled personnel broke out in polite applause.

A brown figure separated himself from the sea of green uniforms, "Sam!" and he hugged her fiercely.

"Dad!" her voice both surprised and pleased at her father's presence.

"General O'Neill," Parker greeted Jack formally.

"General Parker, if I'm not mistaken?" Jack returned agreeably and the officer nodded respectfully.

Jacob stepped back a little and looked Sam in the eyes, "I thought I'd lost you kiddo," he confessed with deep remorse.

She gave him a small smile, "We did have to have a little help from the Asgard and the Nox," she admitted.

"So I need to give Thor a hug?" he replied with twinkling eyes.

"And Anteaus and Lya," Thor intoned unexpectedly from Daniel's side.

Jacob looked startled at the Asgard's response, but his smile simply grew wider… until his eyes focused on someone else. "Jack," he stated with steel in his voice.

Jack winced internally, but didn't let it show on his face. Jacob had undoubtedly seen the video records that showed Jack carrying Sam unconscious through the Stargate. "Jacob…," and he considered the righteously angry Tokra, "No words can express how sorry I am for what happened four and a half months ago," and then he waited cautiously for the man's response.

"No, they can't," and General Carter's voice was still hard-edged steel.

"Dad-," Sam stepped between the two men.

The Tokra glared at Jack for a moment longer and then turned back to his daughter, "Do you want me to kick his ass?" and he let his tone express his hopefulness. "Because with Selmak's assistance, I can do it very thoroughly," and he didn't seem bothered in the least at asking her such a thing in this oh-so-public setting.

"Da-ad," and she looked at him affectionately and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Thanks for the offer, but I'll take care of things myself."

Her father sighed theatrically but acquiesced, "Well, I guess I can't take that privilege away from you," and then he gave Jack another pointed glare to remind him of what a father should have the right to do to someone who abducted his daughter in such a fashion.

Jack accepted the other man's anger at the same time that he wondered how Jacob was going to react when he found out Jack's hopes for the future. He glanced over at Sam to catch a smile quirking the edges of her mouth and a twinkle in her eyes, and silently acknowledged that he couldn't begrudge her a little humor at his expense.

At this point, the Sandaran High Councilor appeared from the growing crowd, "General O'Neill and Colonel Carter," he greeted them formally. "All of Sandara is grateful for your safe return. I must extend my most sincere apologies for the unexpected affects of the Sandaran Vandi. Our most esteemed scientists have collaborated for months with their colleagues from Earth and were not able to explain the General's most unique reaction," and Jack felt Jacob's glare intensifying.

The High Councilor continued, unaware of the Tokra's emotions. "I have spoken at length with representatives from your government and I have been assured that no charges will be brought against you as you were under the influence of the Vandi when we had not explained its… mood enhancing effects," and with that Jacob started to move forward but Sam stopped him with a firm hand on his arm.

Jacob leaned over and whispered something in Sam's ear which caused her to smile quickly before she quietly whispered a short response which then caused the Tokra a look of great disappointment. Jack had no doubt that Jacob had just asked for permission to do something… painful… to Jack.

Then he noticed the silence and quickly realized that everyone was looking at him expectantly… Sam with all expression properly off of her face, but her eyes were twinkling with amusement. "Uh, right. Yes, well, thank you High Councilor," Jack acknowledged the Sandaran official's apology and efforts.

With a few more official salutations and diplomatic niceties, the Sandaran High Councilor gated home using the SGC Stargate, which had only been brought back online the previous evening.

General Parker took control of the gathering after that, directing the six returning SGC members to the infirmary while ushering the Asgard and the Nox into the briefing room.

"So Dad, how long can you stay?" Sam asked as the two of them lingered behind while the others headed to the infirmary.

"At least a few days," he answered, giving her another hug.

She sighed regretfully, "The medical tests and debriefings are probably going to take a week."

He ran a hand gently over her cheek, "I could come back in a week or so," he suggested.

Her eyes lit up and then she looked at him knowingly, "Are you sure? There isn't going to be some Tokra mission or something… and then I won't see you for months…?"

"I promise," he returned earnestly. "I won't let them send me anywhere until after I come back for a visit here on Earth."

She looked at him while considering the risk of letting him go in the hopes that he'd be able to return in a week. And while she watched, she saw her father's head dip down and then his eyes glowed as Selmak took control. "Selmak," she greeted the Tokra with curiosity.

"Samantha, it is good to see you well. Your father was extremely worried for your safety and well-being," the Tokra's deep tones came from her father's mouth.

"Thank you," and she gave both her father and the Tokra a warm, affectionate smile before refocusing the topic. Studying the Tokra, she asked, "So will you and Dad be able to come back in a week… or should I just hold onto you now while I've got you?"

The Tokra smiled and then nodded, "We will ensure that we are able to return in a week," Selmak promised and then added, "If we stay, you and your father will not have much time to visit as your time will be occupied with post mission reports and other such official details," and she nodded regretfully to confirm his words. "In addition, I believe that Jacob requires some time away from General O'Neill. Your father currently wishes to exact… some form of punishment… and while I have found some of his ideas creative and entertaining, I do not believe that you would agree."

"Uh no, I probably wouldn't," Sam agreed with a bemused smile. "And thanks for helping me restrain him," she gratefully acknowledged the Tokra's assistance.

"I do not deserve your thanks, Samantha," Selmak surprised her. "Although I understand that O'Neill was under the influence of the Sandaran Vandi, I also empathize strongly with Jacob's parental emotions and reactions."

"Oh…," Sam pondered the Tokra speculatively, "So… you'd like to…," and her eyebrows raised questioningly.

"As I said, I found Jacob's ideas most creative and entertaining," the Tokra returned unapologetically.

"Ri-ight," Sam returned with both amazement and amusement. "Well, then perhaps it would be best if you and Dad could return in a week?" she asked hopefully.

"I think that that would be most wise," Selmak replied and then his head dipped down and her father's eyes flashed once more.

Her father met her gaze and shrugged, "What can I say? I'm your father," he stated unapologetically but with a tender smile.

"I'm going to hold you to returning in a week," and she gave him a kiss and another hug.

"I'll be back – you just make sure that _you're_ here," he challenged, emphasizing that she'd been the one missing for months.

"Yes, Dad," she replied dutifully and with a smile.

"Because if you're not, you know who I'm going to take it out on," he warned her, with his eyebrows raised and a twinkle in his eyes that didn't quite offset the dangerous undercurrent in his tone.

"If I'm not here when you return, I'm sure that Jack will make a point of being nowhere that you can find him," she chuckled.

"Jack?" he picked up on that with narrowing eyes.

She sighed, "Dad, it was four and a half months! We used our first names," and she rolled her eyes at the stormy look gathering on his face. "Don't worry Dad, we didn't jump each other!"

Jacob flinched at his daughter's words, but also felt relief wash through him at the honesty obvious on her face. "Sam, I just-,"

"I know, Dad," she interrupted him. "Just trust me, OK?"

Sighing internally, Jacob reluctantly acquiesced. She was a grown woman and he couldn't treat her like she was 16 anymore. "When did you grow up on me?" he asked wistfully.

"Well, I thought it was years ago, but Mark disagrees and doesn't think that I have yet," she returned with a shrug and another small smile.

"That's what older brothers are for," he returned affectionately.

"Maybe we could go for a visit when you come back?" Sam suggested.

Jacob nodded, "I would like to see my grandkids," he agreed.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being here today," she acknowledged his efforts, "And Selmak, thanks for helping to get my Dad here."

"Selmak says 'You're Welcome'," Jacob passed the Tokra's response to her. "And I'm just glad that you're allright, Sammy," and he pulled her into another crushing hug.

"Back at ya, Dad," she returned with what little breath she could manage.

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Sam and Jack spent the next week in debriefings, writing reports and undergoing medical exams. Their elevated levels of those certain elements and enzymes from P8X-539 had dropped considerably and neither of them was able to demonstrate any special healing abilities or even the slightest hint of a green glow. Each of the officers suffered through the medical exams without much vocal complaint, and yet neither of them offered any helpful suggestions that might lengthen or prolong anyone's pursuit of the events on that tree-covered planet.

With the Stargate on P8X-539 non-functional, and the planet more than 1800 light years from Earth, even traveling to the planet in the Prometheus was not considered a worthwhile allocation of Earth's only large spacecraft. Discussion was held as to whether or not to ask Colonel Carter to attempt to activate Earth's Stargate via the individual interface, but the risk of damaging the gate again tempered their enthusiasm. Dr. Brightman also vociferously opposed any such further types of experimentation, citing the possibility that they could very well cause irreparable damage to the Colonel.

Ultimately, the information related to the 'green glow', as well as the Stargate's 'individual interface', was classified Top Secret and further investigation at this time was not to be pursued.

The military obviously wondered about the current status of the 'relationship' between General O'Neill and Colonel Carter, but judgment was reserved until after the officers had filed their reports. Ultimately, in light of the mitigating circumstances such as the Sandaran Vandi and the conditions of being stranded on a deserted planet, no charges for fraternization were actively pursued. Which didn't mean that there weren't those in power who wouldn't have enjoyed a witch hunt that centered on SG-1, but there were thankfully enough others in positions of power and influence who held SG-1 in nothing but the highest of esteem.

One General George Hammond was given the task of determining where… certain… things should go from here. He'd read all of their written reports, as well as those from Doctor Jackson, Teal'c, Doctor Rider and Lieutenant Hailey. He'd also read the recommendations from the Asgard and the Nox.

And now he currently sat across the briefing room table from one of the officers in question. "So Jack," and he gave the junior officer a non-threatening smile, "Where do you want things to go from here?" and he waited curiously for the man's response.

"If it's all the same to the Air Force, General," Jack prefaced with and then forged on, "I'd like to retire and then sign on as a civilian contractor."

"Retirement?" Hammond echoed, although he was not surprised by the request. "Any chance you'd like to explore other options… other billets or assignments within the Air Force before retiring?"

"No sir," Jack replied definitively.

"You're sure? There would probably be promotions in the future…?" the General continued, watching the younger man with a certain fondness.

"Sir, I was never after rank," and Jack took a breath before continuing, "I still want to help out if I can…, but I also want to pursue some other possibilities in my life."

"You are sure that you want to retire?" Hammond reiterated for clarity.

"Yes sir," Jack returned earnestly.

Hammond considered teasing the unusually serious man before him for awhile, but then simply decided that they'd all waited long enough… and sacrificed more than enough. With a small smile he slid two folders side-by-side in front of Jack and then waited.

Jack looked up questioningly and Hammond gestured an invitation at the left-most folder. Following the General's unspoken direction, Jack opened the folder and scanned the first page. His brow furrowed and he quickly leafed through the subsequent pages, "But this is-," he started to protest, but Hammond interrupted him.

"As you can see, Colonel Carter has also requested retirement and a civilian appointment with the SGC," Hammond announced with a knowing twinkle in his eyes.

"But-," Jack started again and the General cut him off once more.

"However, General Parker is waiting for my recommendations," Hammond continued.

Jack's eyebrows raised a bit as he caught on, "So… this paperwork hasn't been processed yet?"

"Not yet," George confirmed, his mouth quirking from a smile that threatened to escape.

"Ah," Jack studied the older man for a moment and then his eyes fell to the papers before him. Sam had already submitted the paperwork… And that clinched it for him. Any lingering doubts concerning how she might feel about him were eradicated. Since they'd returned to Earth they'd had no time for just the two of them to talk about the possibilities for their relationship and its development. And the old doubts and old patterns of behavior were difficult to ignore.

But the doubts were swept aside as he looked at her formal request to leave the Air Force.

His eyes moved to the second folder and he glanced up at Hammond and the older man nodded slightly.

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"Acceptable?" Hammond asked him when he looked up after awhile.

"Yes sir, it's more than fair," Jack agreed and then added, "And, thank you sir."

"I've known you for a long time, Jack. I had a feeling that this was what you would want to do," Hammond commented as he handed Jack a pen.

Moments later, Jack passed the papers back, "So that's it?" he asked with surprise.

"Well, that will actually just get the formal paperwork started," and Hammond shrugged apologetically. "The entire process will take weeks and this thin set of papers is only the beginning of what you will have to sign before you are officially retired," the older officer warned him with a smile.

"I have retired from the Air Force before, sir," Jack reminded him with a rueful grin.

"Well, the paperwork and red-tape has probably doubled or tripled since then… it _is_ the computer age and all," Hammond remarked acerbically but tempered it with a smile of sufferance.

"Yes sir," Jack replied with a commiserating grin.

"As one of your last official acts as a General in the United States Air Force, what do you think we should do about this 'other' paperwork?" Hammond asked, gesturing at the other folder.

Jack glanced down at the file with Sam's request in it, "I believe that Colonel Carter needs a little more time to consider her request, sir."

"Ah," Hammond replied thoughtfully and then asked, "Perhaps you would like to return the paperwork to her in the meantime?"

"Yes sir, I can take care of that," Jack agreed with a grateful smile, acknowledging the General's efforts.

"So… finally retired… before me, I would like to point out," Hammond remarked with friendly challenge.

"Yes sir," and Jack simply grinned unapologetically.

"And, I believe that you said that you want to pursue some 'other possibilities' in your life," Hammond repeated Jack's earlier words and when Jack nodded, George continued with a twinkle in his eyes, "Can I ask what 'possibilities' those might be?"

"Um, ask me again after all this paperwork is processed," Jack returned with a smile and in spite of his years of Special Ops training, he felt his face flush warm as Hammond gave him a perceptive look.

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_TBC_

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Author's Note: The scene with Jacob wrote itself... I love fanfics where Jacob approves of a relationship between Sam and Jack, but the way that _this_ story evolved, I'm pretty sure that Jacob would be thinking about 'kicking a little ass' before wanting to consider the possibilities of Jack as a son-in-law! :) I also got a kick out of having Selmak agree with Jacob... that was just more fun that simply having the Tokra provide the 'pendantic voice of reason'. My muse thoroughly enjoyed giving Selmak a little spunk and sparkle.

I want to thank everyone who has read the previous 73 chapters... wow! And special thanks to all who have submitted such wonderful reviews. The upcoming chapters (74 and 75) are probably my twomost favorite chaptersof the entire story... Will try and get them through their final rewrites/proofings over the next couple of days. :)


	74. Not Really

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"_And, I believe that you said that you want to pursue some 'other possibilities' in your life," Hammond repeated Jack's earlier words and when Jack nodded, George continued with a twinkle in his eyes, "Can I ask what 'possibilities' those might be?"_

"_Um, ask me again after all this paperwork is processed," Jack returned with a smile and in spite of his years of Special Ops training, he felt his face flush warm as Hammond gave him a perceptive look. _

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**Ch 74: NOT REALLY **

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Officially retired for three weeks, he was now a civilian contractor with the Air Force. His new title was Special Operations Officer. His job duties included assisting with the selection and training of new recruits, special advisor to the SGC CO and teamleaders, and diplomatic liaison with such cultures as the Asgard. He would be tasked on offworld missions as the need arose, either with training missions or special missions where his particular expertise and experience was required. For the past two weeks, for example, he'd been working with new recruits at the Alpha Site.

Sam was back in command of SG-1 with Daniel and Teal'c. A large part of him was still envious, and also apprehensive about having them go out without him… but this was a tradeoff… The tradeoff was so that he could do… this…

He smoothly parked his SUV at the curb in front of her house. Since his retirement, the two of them had not been on Earth at the same time. Until today. They'd returned from the training mission two days early due to a sudden intense storm at the Alpha Site.

Her garage door was open and he could see her two Volvos side by side. One new and reliable, the other older and more cantankerous. Smiling to himself, he saw her feet sticking out from under the newer automobile.

He pulled a deep breath in and then let it slowly out. Stepping out of his SUV, he closed the door quietly and walked softly up her driveway. He watched her in silence for a few moments… albeit only her lower legs and feet, but he wasn't complaining.

"Would you hand me that light?" she asked, at the same time acknowledging what he'd assumed to be his unknown presence.

He glanced around and saw a heavy-duty mechanic's light on a workbench. "Um, sure," he replied, picking it up and then dropping down to a knee so that he could slide it under and towards her waist.

Her groping right hand swept across the ground and brushed across his fingers before finding the flashlight, "Thanks," her disembodied voice floated up to him.

Silence descended in the garage as she continued to work on the car while he waited and watched, not sure how to proceed now that they were truly… here.

"So… just driving by?" she asked conversationally as she continued her unseen ministrations.

"Not really," he admitted.

A pause answered him and then, "Not really?" she repeated and he could hear the underlying questions in her tone. When he didn't answer, she slid out from under the car and looked up at him from the ground. He couldn't restrain a small smile of affectionate amusement at her appearance; she was wearing an old Air Force T-shirt and some comfortable-looking jeans that were full of holes. Both the shirt and pants were peppered with grease stains, and were obviously what she chose to wear when working on anything like her car or motorcycles. The grease smudge across her cheek however, was responsible for his present quirky smile.

She noticed his visual perusal and bemused expression, but waited quietly for his response, not wanting to sidetrack the nebulous conversation.

"I was wondering if… you'd like to go on a date?" he finally got it out and then waited.

This was it.

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked up at him thoughtfully and then furrowed her brow. What she said next, however, floored him, "No, not really," and she gave a small shake of her head.

'No, not really,' his stunned mind replayed the words in his mind.

'No, not really.'  
After all of this time.  
After all of… and his mind just froze.

He'd been nervous about asking… but she'd said… and her words echoed back in his mind, "I wouldn't have laughed." His eyes refocused on her to see that she was looking down at a rag in her hands, apparently trying to wipe some grease off ineffectively.

And she wasn't laughing.  
His heart was clamped into a tight fist.  
'No, not really,' and he heard her words again.

His mind rapidly sifted back through the memories of when they were in that interdimensional realm. Her feelings for him washed back through him… and he refocused on her again to see her looking up at him ruefully, "I need a steam-cleaning before I can go on a date."

"Aghck…," he gargled at her as he sat down and leaned up against the bumper of car. Watching her face, he saw a small mischievous smile slowly appear and he scowled at her accusingly, "You almost gave me a heart attack."

Her smile grew a little wider, "Not a chance - both the Asgard and the Nox gave you a clean bill of health," she pointed out.

He stared at her for a few moments and then, "That wasn't a real 'No', was it?" he asked cautiously and watched her face carefully.

Her face was unreadable again and he longed for the free exchange of feelings that they'd shared in that interdimensional realm. Then her face softened and she shook her head slightly, "No," she said softly.

"Errr…. 'No' it wasn't a real 'No'?" he repeated with a small smile as they entered one of 'those exchanges.'

"No," she repeated, her own smile growing as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Ah," he replied. "Just making sure," as he clambered up to stand beside her.

Her smile disappeared and was replaced by a puzzled look, "Jack… you _know_ how I feel about you," and her eyes scanned his face, "You've been… here," and she tapped the side of her head lightly. She gave a small shoulder shrug, "I…," and her eyes wandered over some of the objects in her garage before coming back to meet his, "No has shared as much of… me… as you have…"

"Not even Orlin?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

And she quickly shook her head negatively, "That experience was intense and amazing… but doesn't even begin to compare to what you and I shared. Jack… I cared for Orlin… but I didn't love him," she finished softly.

"Ah," he replied with a small smile. "Not that I was jealous or anything," he quickly added with a tone that bespoke otherwise.

She gave him a small smile, "Of course not."

"Right," he replied and then studied her face intently, "You did give me a bit of a scare a few minutes ago… saying 'No' and all," and he arched an eyebrow reprovingly.

She gave him a small impish smile, "Yeah, well, a woman doesn't like to be predictable… and I have an especially difficult challenge, seeing as how you've been inside here," and she tapped the side of her head again. "And you already know how I truly feel," and her face colored a little as she looked down shyly.

"Yeah, well, if it wasn't for that, I would have left right after 'No, not really'," he admitted and then looked at her consideringly, "Would you have come after me?" he asked challengingly.

She met his eyes, "A year ago, I wouldn't have known what to do… but today, yes, without question," she stated emphatically.

"I missed my opportunity then," and he played up a disappointed tone.

She arched an eyebrow at him, "An opportunity at what?"

"To have you come running after me," he replied with a smug smile.

"To come running after you to kick your ass," she finished the sentence her own way and with a threatening tone that was tempered with affectionate amusement.

"I thought that threat was for if I up and died on you out in the desert or on some isolated planet?" and he couldn't fight the smile on his face or the twinkle in his eyes as they continued their mock verbal sparring.

She stared intently into his eyes, "If you were to walk away from me right now, I think I'd feel just about the same way," she admitted in a voice just above a whisper.

But he couldn't walk away. He knew what he felt for her… and he knew what she felt for him - in spite of his anxieties and doubts now that they couldn't share their thoughts as they had in that interdimensional realm. For more than eight years, neither of them could know what the other thought… what was meant by so many quixotic exchanges… there were so many ways to interpret simple words and looks…

But now they both knew. They'd shared something that very few humans or 'normal' corporeal beings would ever have the chance to…. except maybe a symbiote and a host… but that was still not the same as what Sam and Jack had shared.

He looked into her eyes and saw her open the window to her heart and soul to him. The fact that she'd seen inside his mind, shared his feelings… and she still loved him… that fact blew his breath away.

Staring into each others eyes, they drifted back to the feelings they'd shared in that interdimensional realm. His love was a fierce passionate ownership tempered by a tenderness that he only felt for her. Her love was a smoldering passion and of a strength and depth that he simply found astonishing.

Love, promise… and a burning fire reflected back between their eyes.

Almost unconsciously, he stepped forward to close the gap between them, and just as he reached out, her hand came up and she gently stopped his advance with one finger on his chest. "I'm covered in grease," she reminded him.

"I don't care," he growled low and widened his eyes expressively and she couldn't stop a quick giggle.

"JUST KISS HER!"

And they both turned in amazement to see Cassie, Daniel, Teal'c, Dragon and Jennifer standing at the bottom of the driveway. Cassie was obviously the one who had yelled, and she was now making a 'get on with it' waving motion with her hand. The others displayed varying grins, from Daniel's full-blown one of happiness, to Teal'c small barely noticeable one, to Dragon's knowing mid-range smile, to Jennifer's 'trying to keep it polite while watching her superior officers' smile.

"Ahhh," and Sam gave up trying to save his clothes as she dropped her head and buried her face in his shirt.

Holding her to him so that she wouldn't step away, he reached up with his other hand and, in one smooth motion, pulled her garage door down and shut.

"They can't see us now," he stated quietly.

"They are going to wait out there, you know," she pointed out.

"Let them wait," and he reached down and gently tilted her chin upwards to him. "Not that I don't like having you snuggled up against my chest, but-,"

And with that she kissed him.  
Or he kissed her.  
Or it was mutually initiated.  
Neither of them would ever be sure.

The kiss was tender and yet electric. Similar to the kiss they'd shared in that interdimensional realm. This kiss seemed to last for only seconds at the same time it seemed to last forever. Neither of them was multitasking at this moment. There were no thoughts of what to buy at the grocery store, or when to get the next hair cut…there were no mental reminders about putting the wet wash in the dryer…there weren't even any thoughts of the five people standing quietly outside the garage. No, for those few moments, each of them focused completely on the present… on each feeling… on each sense… experiencing completely, vividly and intensely.

When they broke apart, Jack murmured, "Wow," and he felt her low chuckle as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"Yeah, wow," she echoed.

"So… how about that date?" he repeated the question that he'd come here to ask.

Silence answered him and he couldn't help feeling a little rising anxiety, but then he reminded himself of what he knew of her feelings for him.

"I'm still covered in grease," she reminded him.

"I don't think that you're the only one," he pointed out.

"Sorry about that," she apologized.

"I'm not," he responded quickly and felt her silent chuckles as they held each other tightly.

"And we're not making it any better by continuing to stand here like this," she admitted.

"Again, not sorry," he quickly sent back with an obviously smug tone and was rewarded with the feeling of more of her silent chuckles rippling against his chest.

"We should probably open the door… otherwise they are going to be wondering what we're… up to…," she sighed.

"Let 'em wonder," he stated without remorse and this time heard her giggle along with the slight shaking that went along with her laughter. He wondered how long he could keep this up…and _really_ make them wonder out there!

"Serves 'em right, anyway. They weren't invited," he pointed out and then decided to quit wasting this private time and reached down and found her lips again.

The second kiss was, if anything, better than the first. They were each more relaxed and the kiss was deeper and more passionate. Time again seemed to slow as their minds focused entirely on the present… entirely on the feelings and sensations of this moment.

This time, when they broke off, Sam spoke up, her voice deep, "If we… uh… take this much further… here… they are going to be right… in their imaginations…," she warned him.

"I could handle that," he returned as he smiled and then kissed her cheek softly.

"Jack," and he could hear the regret in her voice as she started to pull away.

But he held on to her, "You haven't answered my question," he said in a low threatening voice.

"Your question?" she echoed and although her voice sounded innocent, he wasn't buying it.

He growled a little, "I would never, ever have pictured Sam Carter as a tease," he teased her back.

"And I'm finding it hard work," she confessed, "It's not my first instinct."

"So why now?" he asked curiously, "Not that I'm not enjoying it, mind you," he admitted.

"Like I said before… you know almost too much about me now… and a woman doesn't like to be so predictable… a woman likes to be a little mysterious to her man… to keep him a little off balance," she explained softly.

"Ah," he replied, his mind enjoying how she called him _her_ man.

"Besides, I'm waiting for a different invitation to be repeated," she stated obliquely.

"A different invitation?" he echoed, wondering at her ability to keep him guessing even after they'd shared their minds as they had.

"Mmhm," she replied lazily, as if no longer concerned about the five people probably still standing in her driveway.

"Repeated?" he echoed again as his mind chewed through the possibilities… and then… it was obvious… or was it?

"Mhm," and he felt the vibrations of her response against his chest.

"Sam?" and he pulled a little back from her again, but didn't let her out of his arms.

"Yes?" and he could hear a little amusement in her voice and he was tempted to string her along a little, but then decided on the direct approach.

"I know of this lake in Minnesota… where the fish are this big," and he spread his arms apart for a moment, but then quickly reclaimed her loosely in his arms.

"That big? Really?" she played along.

"Yeah… and I was thinking of going up there for a few days…."

"Minnesota?" she questioned and he could hear her grin in her tone.

"Mmhm, Minnesota," he confirmed and then repeated the words he'd said so many years ago, "Land of sky-blue waters, loofas, ya sure ya betcha' , snookums, mosquitoes…"

"I think you disappeared on me right around there," she muttered.

"Not this time," he pointed out and then pulled her into another heart-stopping, time-bending kiss.

"See still here," he stated, "This is me _not_ beaming up to Thor's ship," he quipped.

"Maybe if you'd tried one of those kisses all those years ago…," she suggested light-heartedly.

"In the hallway at the SGC?" he protested with a chuckle at the image.

"You're right, I would have probably fainted from shock, and so would everyone else in the hallway," she admitted with a rueful chuckle.

"Oh, I doubt that," he said with certainty as a scene in the control room flashed unbidden into his mind.

She pulled back from him again and he winced as he realized that he'd aroused her curiosity with his definitiveness. "How can you be so certain about how I would have reacted?" and he sensed a warning undercurrent in her tone as her mind worked through her suspicions.

He sighed and then an idea came to him, "How about if I promise to tell you if you promise to go fishing with me?" he bartered.

Silence answered him as she thought through the possibilities that she could figure this out without having to trade for something…. but then she realized that she wasn't giving anything up when she actually wanted to go fishing… or at least to Minnesota… or at least up to a cabin with him…

"I can hear the wheels turning in there," he accused as he gently tapped the side of her head.

"You're certain that I wouldn't have fainted or anything like that if you had kissed me in the hallway of the SGC.. without my knowing in advance that you were going to do it… and with others watching?" she specified accurately and with that intensity that told him that she _would_ figure this out.

Knowing that it would be oh-so-much-better coming from him than Teal'c or out of her logical and overactive mind, he played with fire and sent back, "Oh yeah," and he used a smug tone that he knew would tweak her.

Now she growled a bit in frustration, but then she relented, "Allright, it's a deal."

"Minnesota? Fishing? You and Me?" he questioned for verification.

"Minnesota, fishing, you and me… and you spill about this… strange knowledge you claim to have," and he knew that her eyes were narrowing here a little as she continued to try and figure it out on her own.

"Yeah sure you betcha, snookums," he quipped and she couldn't stifle a groan.

"Minnesota, fishing, you and me, you explain this knowledge of yours… and no snookums…," she repeated with qualifications for clarity.

"No snookums?" he returned playfully.

"It's too… just too…," she groaned although she knew that he was mainly doing this to distract her from her ruminations on the mysterious information that he claimed to possess.

"So, fishing?"

"Mhm," she agreed distractedly.

"In Minnesota?"

"Mhm," she replied again absently.

"And you're really coming with me?" he played it out and was rewarded with her silent chuckles again as she shook slightly against him.

"Yes," she replied clearly.

"WOOHOO!" he deliberately yelled and felt her wince in reaction to his unexpected outburst.

"If they are still out there…," she started to mention, but then realized that that's exactly why he'd yelled. "Oh," and she sighed and buried her face in his chest again as he leaned over and slid the garage door open with one hand while keeping her against him with the other.

"Good thing your garage door is so easy to open and close," he muttered in her ear.

"It's all about balance, weighting and…," she replied as she started to pull away a little, and then let the last part of that trail off unspoken. Watching his eyebrows raise suggestively, however, she groaned and simply put her head back on his chest.

"Hey, you were just like that before," Cassie complained that about the fact that they were still simply standing in each other's arms.

"What was she expecting?" Jack muttered into Sam's ear again and was rewarded with another giggle.

Reluctantly the two relinquished their embrace and then turned to face their friends. A few moments of silence passed as each tried to decide who should speak.

"Hey," Jack finally managed an innocuous greeting.

"Uh, yeah. Hi," Sam added self-consciously.

No one replied for a few moments as Jennifer and Dragon looked expectantly at Daniel and Teal'c… both of whom were enjoying Sam and Jack's situation too thoroughly. Daniel, in particular, made a show of visually inspecting Jack's now-grease-spotted clothes. Sam winced and looked down as her face colored a bit.

Finally, Daniel broke the silence with, "So… How's it going?" he asked almost conversationally and then didn't wait for a reply before continuing with, "We were… just out for a walk…," and he looked at the others who all nodded too-innocently. Jack and Sam just rolled their eyes. "And… wow… look what we saw… or didn't see…," and the archeologist smiled too sweetly.

"So… is there going to be a date?" Cassie couldn't stand the teasing banter any longer.

"Actually…," and Jack furrowed his brows, "She never answered that question."

"Then what was the 'Woohoo' about, O'Neill?" Teal'c finally intoned archly and both Jennifer and Dragon had to stifle their own giggles at the Jaffa's obvious consternation.

"Oh, that… the Woohooo," and he lifted his voice softly, pantomiming the earlier exclamation.

"No, WOOHOOO!" Cassie shouted, "_That_ Woohoo… now what was that for?" she demanded.

Jack looked over at Sam to see her struggling mightily to contain her laughter.

"Uh, Jack? Sam?" Daniel reminded them that the others were still waiting for an explanation. "No date?" and everyone could hear the archeologist's disappointment.

Jack just shrugged innocently.

"So, the Woohooo was for…?" Daniel prompted.

"Oh, yeah," Jack strung it out, "That was for Minnesota, right?" and he looked at Sam as if to check.

She looked over at him innocently and shrugged and then nodded, "Yeah."

"Minnesota?" Dragon ventured into the weird conversation while looking at the interesting expressions on the others' faces. Daniel and Cassie were obviously considering this as new and interesting information. Teal'c was as hard to read as ever. Jennifer, on the other hand, seemed to be puzzling over something.

"Yeah, we're going fishing, in Minnesota," Jack expanded for the zoologist.

"How romantic," Dragon muttered and Daniel knew that the zoologist was thinking of dozens of places that were more commonly associated with romance…and warmer climates.

"Jack says that the fish are this big," Sam spoke up with a smile and gestured with her hands spread wide. And _both_ of Teal'c's eyebrows climbed his forehead at that, and neither Dragon nor Jennifer missed the Jaffa's reaction.

Unfortunately for the two women, the Jaffa kept his own silent counsel and did not tell them that he had previously informed Sam that there were no fish in Jack's Minnesota lake. The Jaffa simply caught Sam's eye and she gave him a minute shrug with a small smile.

"Minnesota…? Fishing…?" Cassie mused outloud, and then surprised them all with "It's about time!" Stepping forward she pulled a surprised Sam away from Jack and gave the blonde woman a fierce hug. "I just wish Mom were here to see this," she whispered in Sam's ear.

"Me too, honey," Sam whispered back.

- - - - - - -

That which was now Janet Fraiser floated ethereally nearby.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Janet murmured with a beaming smile.

"Fishing in Minnesota," she continued, although only she could hear herself.

"It's about time!"

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**_- - - - TBC - - - -_**

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As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts  
www**_dot_**moon-catchin**_dot_**net/transcripts.htm (just replace the **_dot_**s with periods)  
_Episode 322 Nemesis, transcript by AQ  
_And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website

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	75. Epilogues!

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_That which was now Janet Fraiser floated ethereally nearby.  
_"_I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Janet murmured with a beaming smile.  
_"_Fishing in Minnesota," she continued, although only she could hear herself.  
_"_It's about time!"_

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**Ch 75: EPILOGUES!**

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He stared at the mud-encrusted dirt bike.

They'd been married for six months and he was helping her clean out her garage in preparation for selling her house. And there 'it' was. The same bike they'd ridden on in that interdimensional realm.

"What did you find over here?" she came up behind him and snaked her arms around his waist while peeking over his shoulder.

He simply pointed at it.

"What? The bike?" she asked curiously.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Please tell me that you don't really ride that thing like you did when we were… you know," and he held her arms to his waist with his own. He felt her silent chuckles shake gently against his back. "Sa-am," he growled, "Unlike in that… other realm, you could get seriously hurt here."

"Have you ever known me to take time off from work because of a motorcycle accident or injury?" she challenged.

He narrowed his eyes at her careful wording… which didn't preclude the possibility of a motorcycle accident or injury, just that he didn't know about it. He turned in her arms and studied her intently while she looked back at him with an innocent smile. He briefly considered mentioning that she was too old for such reckless activities, but quickly recognized the dangers of such words.

"I don't want to see you get hurt," he finally settled on simplicity and truth.

The tender kiss told him that he'd chosen his words well.

And then she pulled back and met his eyes again, "First, I have never ridden a 'real' bike like I did that dirt bike that we rode through the mud… I was taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't real and that we couldn't get hurt like we would here," she confessed.

He looked slightly mollified, but then asked, "So then how did _this_ bike end up looking …like this?"

"Well, I did take it out to the local track for a spin after a good rainstorm had turned everything to mud," she admitted and then elaborated, "But it was a set of fairly flat trails, with wide, easy turns," she clarified with a grin.

"Mmm," and he mulled that over for a moment. "What would you say to keeping the Indian, but getting rid of the dirt bike?" he asked hopefully.

She looked at him for a moment and then laid her cheek on his chest while contemplating the mud-encrusted bike. "What would you say if I agreed not to ride either of my motorcycles for the next 8-12 months?"

His mind stopped at the unexpectedly strange question and then his brain caught up, "Sam?" and he pulled away to look in her eyes again.

She nodded, "I think the coffee and caffeine are going to be harder to give up than the motorcycles."

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This had quickly become one of his favorite activities over the past several years.  
Lying with his arms around her.  
And watching her sleep.

She was currently sleeping on her side and he was spooned up against her back. With his arm curled over her waist, his hand rested on her swollen abdomen. She was seven months pregnant and he loved every single inch and every single curve and swell.

He checked the clock. He still had a half hour before he had to get up.  
He fully intended to relish the next half hour lying here with her.  
He rubbed his hand tenderly over her swollen abdomen and listened to her soft breathing.

After all they'd been through in their lives, each moment with her felt magical.

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She woke up to find herself alone in bed.  
His warm presence decidedly missing.

She checked the clock. O'Dark Thirty. Wearily she pulled herself into a sitting position and sat on the side of the bed for a few moments as she woke up a bit more. Pulling on her robe, she yawned and then made a trip to the restroom before heading for the hallway.

Light streamed out from under the closed door just past their bedroom.  
She opened the door quietly and then smiled at the scene before her.

Jack was asleep in the rocking chair, with one of his arms draped into the crib where the twins were sleeping.

She leaned against the doorframe and watched the three of them sleep.

The twins owned her heart in a way that only a mother can know.

But that man shared her soul in a way that she would never have thought possible just a few years ago.

They'd both been worried that something would happen once they returned to Earth. That circumstances would continue to keep them from exploring a life together. Or that one or the other of them would discover… that it just wasn't right.

But instead, they'd simply grown more in love. Building on their friendship, they'd slowly opened more and more of themselves to each other.

Tears welled in her eyes as she silently acknowledged how lucky she was.  
He was a special man with a true and honest heart.  
He would always be an intergalactic hero, but he had become so much more to her.

He truly was her other half.  
A part of her that she couldn't envision being without.

She'd had to take her father on another trip to Alaska to convince him that she knew what she was doing. And she was fairly certain that both Jacob and Selmak had had some fun threatening Jack before the wedding. But now both Tokra were nothing but doting grandparents and the twins had them wrapped around their little fingers.

Her eyes traveled over the three before her now with an affectionate smile.

Grace twisted and wiggled in her sleep, and Jack started awake. "Hey," he looked up at her sleepily.

"Hey," she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "The bed's more comfortable," she suggested with a smile.

Jack blinked up at her and then looked over at their sleeping children. "They were restless, and I didn't want them to wake you up again," he explained as he yawned.

Sam put a hand out to her husband, "Come on let's see how much longer they will stay asleep."

Accepting her hand as he levered himself out of the comfortable rocking chair, he pulled himself up and then used his momentum to pull her into a kiss.

Sam broke off the kiss a few moments later so that she could whisper in his ear, "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I-," he started, but was dramatically interrupted.

"WAAAAAA AA AAA! WAAA AAA AAA AA!  
WAAA AAA AA AA A A! WAAAAAA AA AAA!  
WAAA AAA AAA AA! WAAA AAA AAAA A!"

"I'll have you know that _your_ daughter started that," Sam informed him and he didn't doubt that she could identify exactly which baby had started crying first.

"Yeah well, _your_ son has the stronger lungs," he retorted as they each reached in to retrieve a squalling baby from the crib.

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Jack parked his SUV in the driveway and pulled a sack of groceries into his arms before heading to the front door. The kids were spending the day playing with some friends down the street.

The day that just happened to be their fourth wedding anniversary.

The twins would also be spending the night at their friends' house. The parents traded off taking care of their children on anniversaries, birthdays and other such special occasions.

The only snag in this scenario was that Sam hadn't been home in over a week. She hadn't even been on the planet. Not that the kids knew that. He had just told them that their Mom had had to go on a trip out of town for work. And P-something-X-3-whatever-whatever certainly counted as out of town.

She didn't get sent off planet much anymore, but SG-7 had discovered some new alien technology… and some of it was too large to bring back though the Stargate. Consequently, The Powers That Be here on Earth had requested that Sam personally visit the site to evaluate the possibilities.

It was only supposed to be for two or three days, but then that had dragged on to four and five and then six and seven and eight.

He opened the front door and quickly headed to the kitchen to put away the groceries.

And then he stopped short.

She was asleep on the couch.

She was still in green fatigues and a black t-shirt, but she'd made it home for today. For their anniversary. A smile slowly replaced his stunned expression and he quietly put the grocery sack on the counter. There were no frozen foods in there, so he would put the stuff away later.

Stepping quietly around to the front of the sofa, he stood and watched her for a moment. Even after all of these years, some of his favorite moments were still the times when he could simply watch her sleep.

Intending to join her, he sat down on the chair next to the couch so that he could take off his shoes first. And then he stopped and looked over at her again.

She still had her boots on.  
On the couch.

And her car was not in the driveway, he suddenly realized. He stepped quickly over to the interior door that led to the garage and took a quick peek… her car was not there... Which meant that she'd had someone drive her home.

Stepping quietly back over to the couch, he raised an eyebrow and studied her more critically. Not seeing anything overt, but with a definite feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, he slipped out of the front room and into the kitchen where he quietly phoned the SGC.

Within just a few short moments, he found himself speaking with Dr. Brightman… or rather, listening to the good doctor's ranting over the behavior of certain patients.

A few minutes after that and he was standing in front of the sofa watching her again. The doctor couldn't tell him the specific details over the unsecured phone line, but there'd apparently been fighting with asundy explosions and shrapnel. The SGC personnel had all made it back to Earth alive, but with injuries ranging from simple scrapes and bruises to one broken leg to one projectile wound.

And Sam had ended up somewhere in the mid-range, with some cracked ribs and a multitude of bruises and contusions. Dr. Brightman had apparently ordered that she was to stay in the infirmary overnight for observation, just as a precaution. Unfortunately for the good doctor, there were several new additions on the infirmary staff who were simply no match for an SGC infirmary veteran such as the woman who lay before him.

He kneeled by the side of the couch and carefully untied and loosened the laces on her boots before gently slipping them off. She didn't stir. And as long as she was asleep, he wasn't going to wake her. With the cracked ribs and bruises that the doctor had described, however, he revised his plans to join her on the couch.

Making a quick trip to the bathroom, he got out some of the prescription pain medication that was dosed for her naquadah-laced system. Placing a couple of those and a glass of water on the coffee table for when she woke up, he retrieved the groceries and then busied himself in the kitchen for a few moments putting things away.

With that done, he sat in the chair next to the couch again, settling in to watch her sleep for awhile.

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Loaded with packages, Sam followed her seven-year-old twins into the house after a day of shopping.

"Whoops," Grace pulled up short with an apprehensive look on her face. Jake quickly stepped over next to her for a look and then raised his eyebrows and quietly looked back at their mom with an empathetic look.

Uh oh.

The twins silently picked up the packages with their new belongings and hot-footed it for their bedrooms, sending their mom apologetic looks as they disappeared.

Steeling herself for the inevitable, Sam quietly stepped over for a view of the couch. Where her husband was stretched out, still in his fatigues -sans boots- and sound asleep with the cat curled up on his chest.

She glanced around knowingly… the house was a wreck… toys and kids clothes were strewn all around. The kitchen table sported a half-finished science project. Video game controllers were arrayed on the floor in front of the TV.

Her eyes traveled back to the man on the sofa and she almost jumped when his eyes met hers.

"We got done a day early," he informed her sleepily, and with a knowing smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.

She smiled ruefully back at him and then sat on the edge of the sofa by his side, "The SUV?" she asked.

"In the garage," he replied with that still too-knowing smile.

"I _am_ glad that you're home and safe," she said softly.

"Someone had to save you from those two," he stated, his smile growing wider.

"The house is still standing," she mock-protested as she softly ruffled the sleeping cat's fur from tail to head… against its natural grain.

"You spoil them rotten and they sooooo have your number," Jack snorted at the same time the cat mewled indignantly at being woken up.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he interjected, "Where did you just come back from?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Sam sighed and looked down, watching the now-annoyed cat stretch and make its way off of his chest and onto the floor. "Jake needed a new jacket and Grace needed a couple of sweaters."

Jack snorted again, "Jake did not need a new jacket – Jake _wanted_ that new jacket and Grace has a dresser full of sweaters," he informed her with amusement.

Sam started to protest, but then just gave him a small shrug and a small, self-effacing smile that admitted that she knew that what the twins were up to.

"Cm'here," and he held out his arms and she lay down beside him and then laid her head on his chest… that _was_ the whole point of waking the cat up, after all.

Sam listened to the beating of his heart. She loved this man more than life itself. Of course, she would have rather have had some warning of his return, so that she and the twins could have cleaned up after his week off-planet, but having him home and safe was worth a little embarrassment.

Jack, on the other hand, sighed happily. His home looked like a bomb had gone off in it and the twins had cajoled their mom out of some new clothes that they didn't need, but he couldn't imagine anywhere he'd rather be.

Cuddled together on the sofa, the two drifted off to sleep.

- - - -

Some time later, Jack awoke to late afternoon light. Sam was still asleep in his arms. He glanced around and his eyebrows rose. The area of the room within his view… was neatened up… everything was put away…

Somehow the twins had quietly put everything away while their parents had snoozed on the sofa. Jack bit back a chuckle so that he wouldn't wake Sam up yet. Who would have thought that Sam would be the 'easy touch' of the two parents? Wasn't it usually the Dad? He looked around with amusement.

But not in this family. Whether it was Sam's childhood growing up without her Mom, or some other factor, the end result was that Sam was a push-over when it came to their kids. When they wanted something, they would always ask Sam first, because she was the most likely to say 'yes'. The twins loved having Mom take them shopping, because they got almost everything they asked for.

He knew that over the past week, they'd probably eaten take-out every night… with pizza on two or three nights. And he knew what he'd find if they'd gone grocery shopping… sugar coated cereals, cookies, chips and four kinds of ice cream in the freezer.

Sam woke up a few moments later and looked up to see him smiling affectionately at her. "I'm really glad you're home," she repeated quietly and with a small smile of her own.

"I'm not sure that the twins would agree with you," Jack replied with amusement. Her brows furrowed as she tried to understand why he would say such a thing. "Take a look," and he gestured at the room with his head and eyes.

Curious, she turned and propped herself on an elbow as her eyes traveled over the now neat room. "Wow," and she let her tone show a little of how impressed she was that the twins had done all this while the two of them were asleep. Turning back to him, she snaked an arm around his waist and looked up at him impishly, "Have I told you that I'm _really_ glad that you're home?"

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Tell me again why you spoil them rotten?"

Sam laid her head on his chest again, simply reveling in the feel of him for a few more moments before answering. "Jack, I love you and the kids and our life here more than I can put into words… and I just want to… to cherish how special it all is…," and here she looked up and met his eyes.She could see his love as clearly as she'd felt it all those years ago when they'd been in that interdimensional realm. She reached up and captured his lips for a tender kiss.

"What did you all have planned for tonight?" he asked when they broke for air.

She looked at him speculatively, "Well, I'm not sure what the twins were hoping for, but I was thinking along the lines of more of this," and she proceeded to give him one of those kisses that stopped time and warped reality.

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The cabin was freezing.

It was the middle of November and the temperatures had dropped considerably during the night. The only sources of heat were small space heaters and the fireplace. And for safety's sake, they didn't leave the space heaters on overnight… nor did they leave the fire burning in the fireplace.

So the cabin was freezing.

Jack, however, was not complaining. Because she was spooned up behind him, with her arm curled possessively around his waist.

"Good morning," she sent to him drowsily.

"Good morning," he sent back, pulling her arm tighter around him and she responded by burrowing even closer to him.

"Do you know how much I love you?" he heard her ask him sleepily.

And he couldn't help teasing her, "How much of that is love for a 6'4" hot water bottle?" and he felt her silent laughter against his back and decided again that it was one of his favorite feelings.

"Oh, I love you for other things, too," she replied in a like tone.

"Name a few," he challenged affectionately.

"How about the past twelve years?" she returned softly and she kissed the back of his neck and he felt his heart melt. "And for getting Daniel and Teal'c to stay at the house for a week to watch Grace and Jake," she added and he felt more of her silent laughter.

The twins were now ten and a half. Grace was happy, impetuous and strong-minded like her father. Jake was quieter and more analytical, like his mother. Together, however, the twins made a potent combination that constantly challenged their parents' patience and forethought. Daniel and Teal'c definitely had their work cut out for them watching over the two rapscallions for a week.

She slid a hand under his shirt and he flinched reflexively, "AH! You're hands are like ice," he accused and her hand stopped its movement as she giggled against his back.

"Sorry," she managed.

He turned over, "You don't sound very sorry to me," he observed critically as he captured her mouth for a kiss and then jerked his head back, "And your nose is freezing too!"

She rolled her eyes, "Well, I guess the 6'4" hot water bottle is falling down on the job," she retorted.

He darted back in to give her a quick kiss and then jumped out of bed, "Be back in a few minutes," and he heard her muttering something unintelligible as she burrowed down into the covers.

Moving out to the front room, he quickly got the fire restarted and turned on one of the space heaters near the wide, comfortable couch. Next, he got some hot water heating on the stove and then headed into the bathroom where he turned on the shower to get the water warming up.

Back into the bedroom.  
And there was no overt sign of her.  
Just a lump in the middle of the mussed up covers.

He leaned over and pulled on the covers, only to meet resistance. "It's too cold out there to get up yet," she protested.

"There's a nice hot shower waiting," he promised.

"You're not coming back to bed?" she asked.

"Nope," he replied and then waited.

More unintelligible mutterings came from beneath the blankets and then she slowly pulled the covers back and looked up at him accusingly, "Don't the marriage vows say anything about _not_ abandoning your spouse in bed on cold mornings?"

He furrowed his brow thoughtfully, as if seriously considering her words, and then sent back, "Nope," with a smirk and quickly left the bedroom.

Ten minutes later, she emerged into the front room, her face a rosy pink from the hot shower. Dressed in warm sweatpants and a thick knit sweater, she found him on the couch in front of the fireplace.

He handed her a mug of hot chocolate as she sat down and snuggled up against him.

He leaned over for one of those kisses that bent time. Where all other thoughts ceased and they each focused completely on the sensations of this moment.

"That's better," he said as he pulled back.

"Mm?" she asked, suspicious of his teasing tone of voice.

"You're all nice and toasty warm," he explained as he wrapped his arms around her and they shared another heart-stopping kiss.

"Jack?"

"Mm?" he returned.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For hot chocolate, and a warm bed, and two wonderful kids, and a warm crackling fire, and for retiring so that we could be together, and for hot showers on cold mornings, and for loving me, and for warming my cold hands at night, and-,"

"I'm sensing a theme here," he interjected with amusement.

"I do love you," she said tenderly with a smile.

"As long as I keep you warm?" he challenged teasingly.

"Side benefits," she returned his teasing as she slid her hand inside his shirt.

"Mmm, warmer now," he assessed without taking his eyes off of hers as she leaned into him for another passionate kiss.

Moments later, he sucked in a breath, "Wow. Look what happens when I warm you up."

And this time he got a challenging growl for a response as she pushed him down on the couch and followed that with a kiss that told him exactly how she felt.

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	76. Author's Notes

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**Author's Final Notes**: I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this story. The scenes in the epilogue are some of my favorite 'Sam/Jack ship' daydreams.

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I originally had several goals:

1)_ to write a Sam/Jack fanfic where they move beyond UST_ – and to use 'Stargate science fiction' as the medium for their developing relationship

2) _to create a story that fits within the established tenor of the Stargate universe._ I endeavored to ensure that I referenced series episodes, other fanfics, and resources such as the wonderful SG-1 Transcript site, Gateworld's online Omnipedia and the SciFi Channel's online Episode Guide.

3) _to allow growth and the integration of new ideas_; examples include the ideas of using the event horizon as a viewscreen, the Stargate's 'individual interface', backstories such as Grounder 1 and Raptor 2,… and Sam and Jack's developing personal relationship.

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There are so many more scenes that could still be written and explored, but this saga naturally brought itself to this ending. So many storylines could still be explored about Jack, Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, Dragon, Jennifer, that 'green glow', the Stargate's 'individual interface', Jacob and Jack's evolving relationship… and so many others.

I had originally planned to deal with the 'dreaded Pete', but the story took on its own form and neither Pete nor Kerry fit in properly (I think they each got mentioned once, in passing). I had an idea for how to get rid of Pete that I haven't seen any one else use, but the idea was too big to just be a sidestory for this fanfic – and I didn't want the 'Pete and/or Kerry' issue to take over and ruin the rest of this story.

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Wow! Seventy-five chapters! When I started this story, I had no idea that it would take over all of my free time… all of my time after work and much of the weekends. Hours and hours outlining and mapping out the storyline… I had to create timelines and pages of notes with planet designations. I learned how to use Microsoft Word's Table of Contents feature so that I could automatically update a table of contents and use that to help me keep tabs on the lengths of chapters along with the overall framework of the story.

Overall, I spent hundreds of hours writing, rewriting and editing - and I hope that the finished product was fun and intriguing to read. I love reading long SG-1 fanfics and I have greatly appreciated every SG-1 author who has posted their fanfics for me to enjoy.

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**_In closing, I would like to send one last thank-you to everyone who submitted reviews. _**

airam4u, aj, amaunetx, amy, ann-sgcfan, arizona94, blumpie , capriceann hedican-kocur, chappaeyebrow, cherryblossomjen, chopingal, christinas, cl235, csl, dark faith5, daydr3am3r, debcole, delilah wigglesworth, df, dietcokechic, dragonsdaughter1, erin, fallingfromelysium, fantasia dreamer, feb04, foxfur, froggy0319, gactttaca, gateseeker2, general mac, gristoner, gypsy dancer, heyjude, iamdragonrider, icecat 0010, ilovesg1, janissma, jessiec, jessmerrick, jetsuo rt, jj, josh maxwell, judi, judi o, justcallmebilly, karen swaitek, kazooband, kelycia, kiwi4624, lila mae, limejuicetub, lotr, lyssie, magda1, mauve, megawriter, melbell, mischief26, mishy-mo, nesh, neuropsych, ng, organized-chaos, pat, psfluter, purplepenguin1013, quindolynn, revvie-s, risa414, roganu-chan -, samlover, sarah, sci fi fan gillian, shetlandlace, shroedinger, smpayne, stargate-1fan, stargatefangurl, stargazer89, starr484, ted sadler, the fiction spider, the legend keeper, tpe78, veep,, verse12, yoojoo, zoser. If I missed anyone, I sincerely apologize – just drop me a note and I'll make the revision! :)


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